American Thanksgiving: Homemade Curried Hummus

December 1, 2014

Lets just pause for a second. Isn’t our street beautiful this time of year? (Mad photog props to Fab for snapping the above gem). Our apartment may be winter ready and decorated for Christmas, but the rest of America still has fall and Thanksgiving to savor. Last month we hosted Canadian Thanksgiving which was such a hit (and left us with the most amazing left overs) that we opened our house once again to our family-less friends who were sticking around the city for the holidays. We were so thankful to share the day with some of our best people. Now all that needs to happen to make this past weekend a recurrent theme is for Justin to ditch Chicago, and for Aaron to move back ASAP (thanks for understanding guys).

I switched up the menu a little to try some new things, but also stuck with our tide and true favorites. Again, we kept things as vegan/Gluten-free/Paleo as possible with a few exceptions to the rule. It is a holiday after all and we need to live a little. The first of our festive eats is our Homemade Curried Hummus, which is no exception to any rule and pretty much free of everything. The subsequent menu fed a plethora of hungry millennials with left overs to spare. So, from our home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

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Canadian Thanksgiving: Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey

November 18, 2014

Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, but luckily we Canadians live in America so we still have American Thanksgiving to look forward to. This recipe for Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey is my go-to for any meal intended to feed the masses. We hosted Canadian Thanksgiving a few weeks back where this dish was the main attraction. Next week, we will be cooking another bird for friends who remain in the city for American Thanksgiving, where again this recipe will take center stage. This non-traditional approach to prepping a turkey leaves you with a moist, succulent and flavorful meat that is always a hit. So be prepared to hide any remnants you want to keep for leftovers during your feast otherwise you may be disappointed to find nothing left once your guests depart. This thanksgiving we hope you enjoy your turkey, but most important savor those you share it with. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing

October 21, 2014

Another dish from our Canadian Thanksgiving feast. This stuffing is a staple in all our holiday dinners. Whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter if there is a turkey being cooked this stuffing is by its side as an accompaniment. I normally render this side with traditional, old fashioned fully glutenized bread. However, this year we had guests with different dietary needs. When I am hosting I want everyone to come and be able to eat to their breaking point. So I decided to play around with a gluten free version, resulting in a stuffing that Jay and I actually both liked a whole lot more! This stuffing is flexible in that you can use it to stuff a bird or you can cook it independently in a dutch oven or casserole dish. We normally do the latter because it allows you to prepare the dish the day before thus freeing up valuable kitchen real estate on the day of the dinner. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Pear

October 14, 2014

We all know how much I love to host, and that I jump at any opportunity to fill my home with those I cherish most. So needless to say I wrangled 15 of my nearest and dearest to come celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with us. Since moving to NYC I have only gotten more patriotic so naturally I love showcasing some of our Canadian culture (even if Canadian thanksgiving is merely a carbon copy of the American version save for the pilgrims and Plymouth rock). This year we were so, so fortunate to have two very exceptional Canadians in town visiting, bringing the Canadian representation up to five speculator people. We love guests, and getting a chance to connect with Rachel and Courtney was a real treat (thanks guys for playing with us!)

We had an amazing time eating ourselves into a turkey coma while savoring the exceptional company. Now undertaking an entire turkey feast is always a touch daunting because I have spent every Thanksgivings at an my aunt’s home. So this year not only was I longing to be there to snuggle all the new babies, but I was very rightfully concerned that my meal just wouldn’t be up to snuff. That woman knows how to host something fierce, and so the bar of excellence has been set high.

However, I managed to pull out a meal that was lauded by everyone. Not only was everyone angling for seconds (the highest form of praise) but is was a super healthy supper that met all the varying dietary needs of our beautiful guests. As such, most of the dishes were either vegan, paleo or gluten free. I will be be sharing a bunch of these recipes over the course of the next few days and weeks (some Americans you can steal them for your approaching Thanksgiving feasts). Furthermore, I would also like to give myself some self praise in that this was the first time I tackled homemade bread and cheese cake without my Kitchenaid mixer (which is safely stowed in storage back home) which is no easy feat. This whole meal was prepared from scratch the tech-free, old school way. So needless to say I got my upper body workout in. Overall the meal was a success, but by far the brightest part of the evening was being surround by our New York family. Although it didn’t completely erase my homesickness for those back home, at least my heart and home was filled with so much love nevertheless. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Pear”

Christmas Past: Hosting in an intimate setting

December 11, 2013

A little throwback to a Christmas past. Last season, an old friend of Jay’s was in town with a beautiful new girlfriend at his side so we hosted a little get together so we could meet her and eat our fill of scrumptious holiday foods. At the time we were waiting to move into our new house and were renting a great, little basement suite but that left space was at a premium. However, our lack of large dinner tables nor our quaint dwellings didn’t daunt of festive decor or vast spread of eats. Below I have detailed our menu for the event, as well as my meal prep tips for small space hosting. So here is a little inspiration for hosting the masses no matter how grand a place you call home.