Vegetarian Thanksgiving ~ When You’re Not Vegetarian

November 21, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

If you’re newly vegetarian or will be hosting a vegetarian for Thanksgiving, you might be wondering how to pull off a festive meal which is generally focused on turkey and possibly ham. Well, I’ve got you covered.

Several years ago we went vegetarian for a year. We did end up making an exception for Thanksgiving day but I also experimented with a meatless version a couple of weeks beforehand. And you know what? It wasn’t that hard.

You see, I realized that it’s actually all the side dishes (and desserts!) which truly make a special meal. Sure, I really do like turkey but leaving it off the menu didn’t keep us from having a delicious meal.

If you are hosting a vegetarian or two for Thanksgiving this year, my suggestion is to go ahead and make your usual turkey and ham for everyone else. Don’t try to substitute a meatless main dish for the vegetarian(s) but just make sure you have plenty of hearty side dishes. Make both regular and vegetarian gravies – be sure to label them! – but otherwise everything else can be made to suit vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Here is a sample menu:

Turkey (and ham if desired)
Mashed Potatoes
baked dressing (use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth)
gravy (vegetarian and regular)
Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole with Streusel Topping
Green Bean Casserole (my version)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Layered Salad
Squash Casserole
deviled eggs (make sure you have plenty for the vegetarian as a protein source)
homemade rolls
pies, cookies, other yummy desserts

And it’s as simple as that. With all those delicious side dishes, the vegetarian won’t feel deprived at all. Of course, if your vegetarian guest offers to bring a non-meat main dish that’s great. Just be sure they know that all the side dishes will be vegetarian and that you’ll have vegetarian gravy, too. As an extra thoughtful touch, print a list of ingredients for each dish. Many non-vegetarians aren’t entirely clear about what is vegetarian and what isn’t. Your vegetarian guest will truly appreciate knowing that there’s no cream of chicken soup in the green bean casserole and that you didn’t add chicken broth to the dressing.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

National Sandwich Day ~ A Collection of Favorites

November 3, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

Today happens to be National Sandwich Day and since I didn’t get my intended post for today done I thought I’d just go ahead and share some sandwich recipes with you instead.

I suppose I could have pretended this was what I had planned to do anyway but I might as well give you a glimpse of what it’s really like around here. We hosted a super fun event last night – a recreation of The Beatles’ famous 1969 rooftop concert. A lot of work goes into putting on an event which is supposed to look somewhat spontaneous. If you want to see some unedited video footage, click here. This is the sort of thing we do through our nonprofit – HMA Foundation. Lots of fun and lots of work.

So let’s take a look at some yummy sandwich recipes, shall we?

Ham and Provolone Sandwich With Caramelized Onions

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Three Cheese Grilled Cheese With Caramelized Onions

This was on my old blog and there’s no photo:

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwich

National Sandwich Day – 2015

Again, a recipe from my old blog. This one was a guest post:

Hawaiian Ham and Cheese

And now I’m going to have to wrap this up. David and I are meeting friends in the city tonight for a long-awaited dinner (they are as crazy busy as we are) and an overnight stay at our favorite OKC hotel, The Skirvin. We are hoping to get out of town around 3 or 4 p.m. and I still need to finish the laundry, pack, shower and polish my toenails. Have a beautiful weekend and I’ll be back Monday with our usual menu post.

Menu Monday ~ LWD Family Favorites

October 30, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

Welcome to a new week, friends! As I began to work on my schedule for this week it soon became apparent that, at best, we’ll be home for maybe one dinner this week. That makes for a pretty dull menu to share. So I decided to create a menu featuring some Life With Dee favorites. Let’s take a look:

LWD Family Favorites

Monday

How about one of our family’s favorite vegetarian dishes for “Meatless Monday”?

Sour Cream Green Chili Enchiladas
seasoned rice
green salad
chips and salsa

Tuesday

Every Tuesday should be “Taco Tuesday”, right? And if you can enjoy delicious tacos without the expense and calories of meat? All the better!

Lentil Tacos – with all the fixings (lettuce, tomato, green onions, sour cream, cheese, etc.)
chips and guacamole

Wednesday

It’s so-called “Hump Day”. That sounds like a good reason to plan an extra tasty, yet still easy meal.

Easy Jambalaya in the Instant Pot
tossed green salad
crusty French bread

Thursday

We all have those nights when we need a quick meal but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be delicious

Friday

For many, Friday is traditionally a night for fish or seafood. That’s certainly no hardship with this meal!

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp over Cheese Grits
tossed green salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
crusty French bread

Saturday

Let’s do an at-home date night meal.

Pork Loin in Cognac Sauce
homemade mashed potatoes
tossed green salad with homemade Thousand Island dressing
steamed broccoli

And since it’s “date night”, how about Earl Grey Martinis after dinner?

Sunday

We all deserve brunch once in awhile, right? Invite a few friends over and make it a party.

Chicken and Waffles With Maple Whiskey Cream Gravy
fresh fruit salad
Dark Chocolate Cranberry Scones
coffee, tea, mimosas

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

I am loving my Instant Pot. Not only is it a pressure cooker but it can also be used as a slow cooker. The best part is that it also has a sauté feature so I can brown meat in it first then switch to slow cooker. That means one less pan to wash…always a good thing!

This post is linked up at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out for lots of great menu ideas!

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup ~ An Instant Pot Recipe

October 25, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 8 Comments

As the weather gets cooler nothing satisfies quite like a steaming hot bowl of soup. Whether it’s a simple starter to a meal or a hearty version served as the main course, soup just hits the spot. Soup also happens to be one of my favorite things to make. If you are looking for a rich and filling bowl of yum you can’t go wrong with this Smoked Gouda Potato Soup.

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup

I got the idea for this soup from a restaurant sadly no longer in business. Their potato soup was so delicious but I couldn’t quite figure out what accounted for the rich, smoky taste. Fortunately the owner was a friend so I asked. Smoked Gouda cheese was the answer.

Yum

Smoked Gouda Potato Soup

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
4 ounces cream cheese
4-6 ounces smoked gouda, grated
4-6 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup milk
hot sauce - a few drops
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream (optional)
chives or green onions (optional)

Instructions

Cook bacon on sauté setting of Instant Pot just until lightly crisp.
Remove bacon and set aside.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease.
Cook onions until translucent.
Add garlic and cook about one minute, stirring to avoid burning.
Pour one cup of chicken broth in Instant Pot, stirring and scraping the bottom well.
Add potatoes and the rest of the chicken broth.
Adjust Instant Pot setting to "Soup", secure lid with vent closed and set timer for 8 minutes.
Allow steam to release naturally or manually.
Adjust Instant Pot setting to "Slow Cook".
Add milk, grated cheeses, and hot sauce. Continue to cook and stir until cheeses are melted. Taste and season with hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in shallow soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream, a bit of grated cheese, crumbled bacon and chives or green onions.

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I suggest a light salad course first and then bring out the steaming bowls of soup. A crusty loaf of French bread and a crisp white wine will complete this simple yet delicious meal.

Note: While an Instant Pot is a handy, quick way to make this soup, it can also be made in a regular stock pot. Follow the same directions but allow 20 minutes or so to cook the potatoes. Turn the heat to low before adding the milk and cheeses. Be careful not to let it come to a boil after the milk is added and stir frequently to prevent sticking.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Life With Dee!

This post is linked up at Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday. Check it out!

Menu Monday ~ October 23, 2017

October 23, 2017 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

Another week, another menu! If you follow me on Instagram you probably figured out that we were out of town a few days last week. That means last week’s menu wasn’t what we really ate. I knew we wouldn’t be eating at home much so I thought it would be fun to create a menu of Autumn-inspired dishes. Did you enjoy it? Every once in awhile I share a “theme” menu rather than what we are actually going to eat. I hope you enjoy these because I have a few more theme menus coming up. But for now, let’s take a look at what is truly on the Piercy menu this week.