Happy Thanksgiving beautiful people! The autumn bliss is upon us and the buzz of traditions shared with family warms our hearts and satisfies our appetites nicely! I always get such a tickle of joy during Thanksgiving and it is close to my birthday and marks my 50th this year. Glad to hear that 50 is the new 40 right! Age is all but a number and I feel like gratitude is the reason for feeling so fantastic these days. Tis the season for gratitude and surely we can all find things to be grateful for right?! This Thanksgiving season our daughters will be visiting from Ontario, so Dan and I are over the moon excited for their arrival. Quality time is my love language so my heart is full with happiness knowing they will be here with us during this special time of year.
I wanted to capture a soft peaceful feeling for this Thanksgiving decor.
This photo was captured 5 days after we moved into our new home in Stirling, Ontario. A funny moment when the neighbour came to the door just before this photo was taken. The neighbour Tim was hand delivering a welcome card. His face was in shock at how over-decorated our home was and that my husband Dan was wearing a suit jacket when he opened the door. Tim took a quick peek inside and thought there was a wedding going on. This in action photo was professionally captured by the talented photographer at https://www.tialoryssaphotography.com/ . Tia and I collaborated to ensure the best quality food and decor photos were taken for my All Seasons Vegan cookbook. The cookbook will be released this fall y’all so I suggest subscribing for notifications of launch so you’re on the list for the first 300 personal signature copies.
Last years decoration and autumn fall vibe is very different than that of this year. Every home sort of tells me a story of what decor palate to create. I was totally feeling a soft pink, sage and white decor vibe last year. The frosted flutes in this shot were also used in this year’s Thanksgiving table setting. Amazon find here in; .
The bambo table chargers were purchased at a home decor and blind boutique here in; https://decorchic.ca/ . I used these wood table chargers to pull in the grand wood beams throughout the home and bring the eyes toward the hand made mantel above the fireplace.The mantel was made of wood salvaged during a remodel of this 165 year old stone home.
To capture that soft delicate feeling I added some blush pink coloured chiffon fabric found online here in; .
The ivy green faux eucalyptus also found on amazon here in; . I chose the eucalyptus to play off the green sage pumpkins. I love how they ground the entire table setting.
Wood Mantel salvaged from the renovation of this century home.
Before this decoration design came to life, I took a country drive to a local farmer to select some pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks at https://www.grillsorchards.com/ . It is a beautiful farm with apples, corn, pumpkins, homemade desserts, artisan gems and more. The family and staff were very friendly at Grills Orchards, which is a common theme for locals in Stirling. Stirling, Ontario greeted Dan and I with the utmost hospitality. The old fashion knock on the door with hand delivered welcome cards like Tim’s happened for the first two weeks upon our arrival. Cakes, pies, delicious bottles of wine, home made jams and more came with greetings, smiles and hugs. Kathy with K and Jess the school teacher quickly became my besties. Dan and I soon realized that our front porch was the communal happy hour hot spot. We seem to fit right in to this place they called Halloway. Living in the Halloway called for a front yard fire pit, not a backyard one. Our frequent campfires would be the invite signal to pour yourself a beverage and come on over. Dan and I had the most fun while living there. We gained a circle of tight friends and two women who became my tribe so to speak. Forever friends were built in that little country village. Family and friends are so dear to our hearts and it is this time of year that makes me cherish them all that much more.
So beautiful people, raise your glasses to the ones we love! Let us EAT, DRINK and be GRATEFUL! From my family to yours, much love and blessings during this thanksgiving season.
My Measurements Tips
- T – is for Tablespoon
- t – is for teaspoon
- Yields: 6 pie pumpkins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 65-70 minutes
MUST HAVES
- large pot
- sturdy flat baking sheet
- 6 pie pumpkins
WHAT TO GRAB
Vegetables
- 2 cups potatoes, peeled, diced 2 inch cube
- 2 cups carrots, peeled, diced 2 inch cube
- 3 cups turnips, peeled, diced 2 inch cube
- 2 T garlic clove, peeled, minced
- 1 cup white onion, peeled, finally diced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2.5 L water
Other Ingredients
- 2 1/5 cups water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup soya sauce
- 3/4 cup any sauvignon blanc wine
- 1 T marmite yeast extract
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1 T onion powder
- 1 t cracked pepper
- 1 T cinnamon spice
- 1/2 t clove spice
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 4 cups greens beans, chopped
Last Added Vegetables
2 cups of fresh green peas
Thickening Mixture
- 2 cups soy milk
- 1/2 cup all purpose or gluten free flour, sifted
White Pie Pumpkins
- 6 white or blush coloured pie pumpkins, gutted, washed and scrubbed
Toppings
- 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
The stew was inspired by my mothers broiled dinner…Only Vegan and placed in these gorgeous white pie pumpkins.
White Pie Pumpkins Instructions
- Preheat the oven to bake at 450 F. Set the oven rack to middle level.
- Cut the pie pumpkins tops off. Remove and discard the entire guts and seeds. Place the top on the pumpkins.
- Set the pumpkins on a study cooking sheet and place in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.
- When pumpkins are cooked the stew should be ready to fill the pumpkins and be placed back into the oven to cook for 10 more minutes. Read Stew Instructions below.
Stew Instructions
- Wash, peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and turnips into dice size pieces and add to a large cooking pot with 2 litres of water. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on medium to high heat to
- cook for 30 minutes.
- Peel and mince the garlic clove. Peel and dice the onions. Wash and cut off the ends of the green beans, then chop them into small pieces and set aside. Remove the rosemary stems and discard into the composter; then chop the rosemary into small pieces. Set aside 6 sprigs of rosemary for later.
- Add the onions, minced garlic, rosemary, white wine and olive oil to another large cooking pot and sauté for 10 minutes on medium heat while stirring occasionally with a spoon.
- Add all the Other Ingredients (except for the peas) to the pot and mix well. Cover with a lid. Set temperature to a low simmer to cook for 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- When the potatoes, carrots and turnips are finished cooking in the other pot, strain the water off and add them to the pot of sautéd herbs, onions, garlic and other ingredients. Give it a good stir and place the lid back on.
- Now let’s make the thickening mixture. In a medium sized pot, pour the in the water and soy milk. Cover with a lid and let simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes.Then begin adding the flour while whisking the entire time. Whisk until it begins to thicken to a gravy texture. Ensure there are no lumps of flour. Pour the thickening mixture into the other pot and give a good stir.
- Now add the peas to the pot and give a good stir. Remove pot from the burner.
- Time to fill the cooked pumpkins with the stew.
- Add a sprig of rosemary on top of each and place the top back on the pumpkins.
- Place the pumpkins back in the oven on the same cooking sheet from earlier and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove when ready and place the beautiful cooked stew filled pumpkins on a special festive serving plate and enjoy.