Commence warm and fuzzies and vegan food with part of the spread:

My contributions to the dinner were pies of both sweet and savoury varieties. This marked the production of my first-ever pot pie, so it’s time for a photo pictorial to capture my stirring hand’s excitement.

Sautéing the diced green beans, carrots, mushrooms, potato, baked tofu, and spices.

The savoury was a Smokey Kabocha Squash & Baked Tofu Pot Pie inspired by Karen from the Vegan Conversion Challenge’s recent Kabocha Pot Pie. She’s doing a month of chili-dominated dishes for VeganMoFo, and as soon as I saw her adorable baked-in-the-squash, smokey pot pies, I wanted to try them. Fatefully tying this plan together, I had roasted freaking kabocha squash the night before, so the question became – do I buy more squash (on the day before thanksgiving) or do I reach for a little more adventure? I chose the latter, following Karen’s recipe as closely as possible. There was no time for finding Soy Curls or big tvp chunks,  so I decided to bake tofu cubes in a marinade of tamari, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, garlic, and herbs. As for squash, it seems to get saucey in Karen’s, so I figured simply adding chunks of roasted squash into the mix with the broth would work for my take. A squashy gravy, if you will. I went light on the chili peppers, and ended up adding quite a bit more of smoked paprika and hot cayenne before baking.

Things take a turn for the saucey and squashy:

Dished into a pie plate and ready for some puff pastry action.

The finished dish, with its learning-as-we-go puff pastry weave, from my camera phone:

Enough of my silly tales of pot pie production – Chelsea’s famous Gluten Roast, stuffing & itty bitty, adorable potatoes follows:

Knowing this would be there just may have pushed me out of the house.

Damn good pumpkin pie and damn fine pecan pie:

My friend veganized John Edwards’ secret family recipe for us and I’m still thinking about it:

Sweet, sweet pumpkin cheesecake!!

My second contribution – half of a vision come to life – Thai Iced Tea Pumpkin Pie.

Take Bryanna’s classic Vegan Pumpkin Pie, sub coconut milk for the soy, and add a ton of powdered cardamom and star anise along with the usual suspects. If there was Thai tea in my cabinets, it would have been involved.  And one excuse short of my vision, I had just missed the stores closing on my way to dinner, or there would have been coconut flakes (or, in retrospect, dollops of coconut whipped cream) with the straws.

Note: I did not make people drink out of them.

Whole wheat crust (Trader Joe’s), homemade marinara, mozzarella teese, sun-dried tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, jalapeño peppers.

I’m always impressed at how well teese holds up upon re-heating.

Variety time!

Whole wheat crust, roasted orange pepper and white bean spread, steamed greens, strips of more roasted orange pepper, and halved  kalamata olives.

As for my holiday time, pizza making confession, it’s totally not the store-bought dough – it’s the music. The first evening of pizza baking marked the first day of the season I welcomed the easy listening christmas music station back into my life. Every night. I can’t help it. I can be pretty damn humbug, but hear Linda Ronstadt wishing me a Merry Little Christmas and go weak with nostalgia. I start cutting out snowflakes and wishing for the marshmallow winter song and Band Aid to come on next and then start picturing my grandfather singing along with Bing Crosby. I may have even put up a fucking holiday tree under the guise that it’s for a shindig. And quite frankly, if I had wine, and mulled wine went with pizza, it would have been on my stove.

All this potential busy-ness or personal time over the holiday weekend doesn’t mean that I’m not totally entranced by all the seasonal menu planning around me, via blog posts and holiday specials at the grocery store and farmers markets, etc.

With that, here are some things that have caught my eye recently.

Thanksgiving Day Ideas I’d like you to make for me:

• Our Veggie Kitchen’s Turkey Gravy (inspired by the next link)
• Vegan Dad’s Smoked Turkey Lunch Meat
• Melomeal’s Barley Cherry Pecan Stuffing Mel has a ton of Frugal Thanksgiving recipes up!
• Joni’s Seitan en Croûte from 500 Vegan Recipes.  Just look at it!
• Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Spiced Vegan Pumpkin Pie – consider using coconut milk! It could change your view of this holiday.
• Bryanna’s Buttermilk Biscuits – beautiful things.
• The Thanksgiving Cake Incident from Vegan Good Things. Whoa.
• Joanna’s Mushroom Dressing from Potluck Mania. Classic.
• Bryan P. McCarthy’s Vegan Turkey Roast on Everyday Dish. I’ve made this a couple times and like to roast cubed vegetables in the pan, as well.
• Chelsea’s Whole Grain Quinoa Stuffing and Thanksgiving Gluten Roast up on the Bob’s Red Mill Blog. I just may be eating some of that stuffing tomorrow, wink wink.
• The Double-Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake from Fat Free Vegan. Why have I not been to a potluck where this is present?!?
• and of course, the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Don’t Eat Off the Sidewalk. Pretty please?

Ye Olde Get Sconed! Thanksgiving-related porn follows, featuring quite a sweet potato pie casseroles, more pies, mac & cheeze, rolls, and an apple cider, garlic & herb marinated tofurkey, among other classics:

And if you’re dishes rule, don’t forget to take a picture and send your photos to Vegansaurus!

And please, share!

And now, a throw back to long ago days with an Anatomy of a Grocery Trip:

• Honeycrisp apples – I never buy these trendy “perfect” apples because they kinda freak me out, but they were under $1/lb!
• Lemons – 5 for $1. One can never have too much fresh citrus around.
• Lime – ditto
• Avocado – Their baby avocados were rock hard, but 4 for $1, so…let’s be patient.
• Orange bell peppers – I know, I know. It’s not local, but I’d rather buy bell peppers now and then to roast instead of crying all the time. It’s not like I bought flavorless tomatoes!
• Satsumas – Like you need an explanation.
• Ryan’s Apple Cider – straight outta Hood River, super fresh – and $3.50 for a half gallon.

It smells amazing and I already wish I was making more! The method is based off of this recipe from The Savvy Homemaker (but really, most recipes are online are the same), which involves a whole lot of vodka, brandy, waiting and aging.

See you on the flip-side.

The Start: Apple Fest and Apple-tastic Inspiration 10/18/2010

Recently, there’s been the Portoritto with smoked soy curls and sliced portobellos, the ChiliCheeseFryrrito - just imagine what’s in there, the FU Jerk with jerked tofu, the Filet O’Fu with breaded oceanic tofu and remoulade sauce, the freakin’ Clamwich – and on, and on – and then there’s the regular menu, with their famous MacNoCheese, Tempeh Melts, vegetable sides, Coconut Battered Oreos and various smokey proteins smothered in smokey Maple Bourbon BBQ sauce.

That being said, is there anything Homegrown Smoker would smoke and sauce that you wouldn’t want to try? And do they offer adult bibs (or fancy handkerchiefs) with their logo yet?!?

Alright, sometimes things overwhelm even me – I wasn’t quite badass enough for yesterday’s special – but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t support my crazier friends with their intense, nearly unbelievable burritos, my camera, and a stack of recycled napkins.

The SW 4th & College cart pod: home of Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ (mere blocks from the home of Vida Vegan Con in August!)

I swear Jared was also smiling the moment before this happened.

Holy, shit. Screw being caught in a downpour on my way here – because, I swear, this was the best version of their MacNoCheese yet – and the Smoked Shroom burger was sheer awesome.

Some of my favorite vegan food continues to be downtown lunch options in Portland. So, have you got your HoGroSmo on yet?