Thanksgiving!!!

I don't know about y'all, but I'm stuffed! I spent Wednesday night and most of Thursday in my hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas. I helped my mom in the kitchen a bit today, but she did most of the work as usual. And as always, she made everything vegan (or in some cases, she made a vegan and non-vegan version of dishes). And I'm the luckiest girl ever because I have TONS of leftovers. Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving!

I started out the morning with a 9-mile run through Jonesboro. My half-marathon is next weekend, so I can't skip a training day. Plus, it was nice to see bits of my hometown that I've never seen before. And I burned around 800 calories to make room for all that Thanksgiving food.

My mom (and me a little) cooked everything at my parents' house, and though we typically eat there, this year, we took all the food to my Me-Maw's house to eat. She just had hip surgery and can't get in and out of cars yet. Here's Paul and I at Me-Maw's just before chowing down. I failed to get pics of the rest of my family because I was too busy snapping pics of food! Sigh.

This year, I went with the Gardein Holiday Roast for my main. It's covered in a seasoned breadcrumb topping, and there's a cranberry-sage stuffing inside. Loved the meaty texture of this roast. Gardein products are so authentic!

It's just not Thanksgiving without Cornbread Dressin'! We don't do stuffing in the south. We do creamy cornbread dressin', and my mama makes the best. She made me a big ole pan of Vegan Dressin'!

As per tradition in our house, we just had to have Hash Brown Casserole. Usually, my mama bakes this in the oven with a buttery cornflake topping, but this time, she tried making it in the Crock Pot. It wasn't as crispy, but it was so very creamy and delicious. It's just hash browns, onions, vegan cheddar, and homemade vegan cream of celery soup. My fave!

Mama likes to try at least one new recipe every year. This time, it was a Broccoli & Wild Rice Casserole with mushrooms, peppers, celery, onions, and breadcrumbs. Most broccoli rice casseroles call for cheese, but this recipe did not! The only vegan swap-out she had to do was soy milk instead of the heavy cream called for in the recipe. I really loved this!

Granny typically makes the veggie sides. She brought her famous Greens & Turnips! Granny makes the best slow-simmered greens, which I douse liberally in vinegar-pepper sauce.

She also brought corn, but my picture came out blurry. I was in a hurry to eat! And she made these awesome Green Beans!

Our salad is always a little different every year, but this year, mama made a Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes.

And it's not Thanksgiving without homemade Cranberry Sauce!!

Here's my whole plate. I also had a bowl of pasta salad and a dinner roll (not pictured). Yes, I ate every bite. I earned those calories!!

Last but not least, dessert! Even though my parents aren't fond of pumpkin, mama is learning to like it. And she got brave enough to try my Vanilla Spice Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream from Cookin' Crunk this year!

Hope y'all had a happy Thanksgiving too!