This year we stayed in our hemisphere for the holidays, avoiding the long wintry trek back to the East coast of the United States.

Opting for warmer climates in Thailand instead, we rented a house with friends and headed to the beach. We made our own breakfasts including egg in a hole and blueberry chocolate pancakes. The lack of an oven, however, provided a bit of a challenge.

These Oreo Cheesecake bites were a welcome treat. All you need is a refrigerator and strong hands to mix up the insides (unless you’re at home and can pop in a hand mixer). The decorative liners and figures gave this dessert a festive touch.

How are you spending the end of the year? I hope it finds you with loved ones near.

A photo posted by Mo Phongsavan (@moha_doha) on Dec 25, 2015 at 5:23am PST

A photo posted by Mo Phongsavan (@moha_doha) on Dec 12, 2015 at 9:08pm PST

I found one fillet of seasoned uncooked fish and one jar of mystery marinade in the fridge today. Rather than heat up leftover spaghetti (which no doubt would have been delicious) I opted to saute the fish in the butter and herb marinade that was hiding on the back shelf.

Then I rummaged around the veggie drawer to rescue kale, not a day too soon, and had a homemade, delicious, unplanned dinner in under 20 minutes.

What do you have in your fridge you can use tonight?

As a vegetarian, I look forward to Thanksgiving because there are so many yummy vegetables. Carnivores call these “side dishes.”

I made them my main course by stuffing vegetables into each other in a herbivore friendly version of the turduken (chicken inside a duck inside a turkey). You know I love a convenient substitute and walnuts were my answer to pine nuts in veggie mash that fills the nested gourds.

The Vegduken was a hit! Note: I had this roasting for about 2 hours. The eggplant and zucchini were delicious – the squash could have used another 30 minutes if you want to eat the outer layer as well. We were happy to use it as serving dish for the other yummy goodness.

I’m considering doing a second version of these where I mash up all the leftovers: stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc and put it inside a hollowed out veggie to bake.

Did you try or taste any new recipes this weekend?

A photo posted by Mo Phongsavan (@moha_doha) on Nov 26, 2015 at 11:19am PST