When I was in high school, my mom scheduled my wisdom teeth to be removed. The day before Thanksgiving. I was so bummed to miss out on the feast that everyone else was enjoying! But this year I would rather have big holes in my mouth than to deal with all of the dietary restrictions Lucy’s doctor has me on. (If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen this tweet, and since then I found that peppers are also on my restrictions list.) Since I’m heading to a family potlock style gathering, there’s bound to be gluten, dairy, paprika, potatoes, and lots of other foods I’d love to be eaten but have to go without. So what’s a girl to do? Well, I’ll be towing along a few dishes I know that I can enjoy, and Lucy can too!

I found this holiday slaw recipe a few years ago from a raw/vegan book, and was delighted to find that my vegan-weary family members enjoyed it as much as I did! If you have dietary restrictions this holiday season, or if you just want to add a healthy treat to your holiday gathering, you simply must try this recipe!

• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 pineapple
• 2 medium sized apples of your choice
• 1 cup of chopped dates
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• Lemon juice
• (optional) ground cinnamon
• (optional) 1/2 cup of veganaise or mayonaise

After cleaning the sweet potatoes, grate them (skins on) and set aside in a large mixing bowl with chopped dates and walnuts. Clean and chop the apples (skins on) and toss in slightly diluted lemon juice. Drain apples and add to the mixing bowl. Chop the pineapple into small pieces, reserving half for the next step (or 1/3 if you plan on using veganaise or mayonaise in your slaw), and add to the mixing bowl. Add the reserved pineapple with honey, veganaise (I had to omit this and mayo because of my dietary restrictions) and cinnamon (if you choose) to a food processor or blender and mix into a puree. Add the puree to the rest of the ingredients in your mixing bowl, and stir to combine.

If you are planning on making this ahead of time, then I suggest reserving your walnuts until right before serving. They keep reasonably well, but if you want maximum crunchiness (which, you do!), then you may wish to wait to mix them in.

Yesterday I added some more fun vintage pieces to Fine & Dandy’s Etsy shop! These are some of my favorite pieces that I had been hoarding for some reason. But now they can be yours! So, grab ’em while they’re hot! Click the links below each outfit to shop the individual items. (Hats, belts, and shoes are not for sale.)

as seen above: white ascot blouse | striped jeans

plaid wool maxi dress

green girl scout dress

yellow sweater vest | black and metalic striped ascot blouse | polka dot palazzo pants

cream nautical blazer | chambray ruffle-front blouse | vintage jeans

burgundy leather trench coat

black and tan wheat fields dress

semi-sheer yellow pleated dress

black and metallic chevron striped ascot blouse | black and white polka dot palazzo pants

Have you ever felt put on the spot at a Thanksgiving dinner when the host asks you to share with everyone what you’re thankful for? Uhhh… my health? Family! Is that the right answer? Obviously we all have a lot to be thankful for, so why not encourage your guests to share their blessings in an unconventional, interactive way?

This table setting idea is super simple to throw together, and even includes an easy craft you can make with your family or friends before the day of the feast. Click here to download the leaf placemat template, and read the instructions below to get started on your own crafty table arrangement!

• roll of kraft paper
• twine
• felt-tipped pens (not a sharpie- they’re too stinky for the dinner table!)
• twine
• fabric scissors
• leaf template (print out this 11×17 template)
• felt
• sharpie

1- Trace the leaf template with a sharpie marker. Make sure you leave room to flip over the template and complete both sides of the leaf!

2 – After you cut out the leaf, use your sharpie to draw vein lines across the leaf.

3 & 4 – Pinch one of the veins you just drew, and cut a thin cut on the fold you just pinched to get your cutting started. After you have a starting point, you can insert your scissors and cut along the line like normal. Be careful you don’t cut into two layers of felt on accident!

5 – Using small pieces of the kraft paper, cut out smaller leaves to write a message to your dinner guests, letting them know what the kraft paper table cloth is there for. Tuck it into the twine-wrapped napkin bundle that also holds a felt-tipped pen for each guest.

So simple, right? A nice after-dinner idea would be to have guests switch seats for dessert, that way everybody has a chance to read all of the blessings that have been written on the table. And if you still want to put people on the spot, you can your guests them read them all aloud. :)