Thanksgiving Traditions and Memories
Grandma's Nontraditional Meals!It's difficult to have traditions in my family, because not only are my parents divorced, but my grandmother passed away two years ago, leaving my mother, sister and I on our own for Thanksgiving.However, Thanksgiving with Grandma was always very special. Each year, she and my mother would cook a small turkey and several cornish hens. This, of course, was complicated by the fact that I became a vegetarian at the age of 13. Grandma was a little disappointed that I wouldn't take part in eating her cornish hen, but she managed to remedy this by making a meatless variation of one of her specialties--lasagna, and she added extra ricotta and spinach. Plus, every year she would make what should have been an award-winning pistachio pudding, replete with marshmallows.
Another twist on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner was that my sister, generally picky about the food she ate, would not eat the requisite sweet potatoes. Thus, our potato part of the meal was half sweet potato and half baked potato.
Although our Thanksgiving dinner was far from traditional by any stretch of the imagination, my Grandma's willingness to adjust the meal to each of our individual desires was a tradition in itself.
The Most BlessedThanksgiving is a time of sharing. We are grateful for all the friends and family who have shared this meal with us. We always try to share the day with those who have nowhere to go. Everyone is asked to bring their favorite Thanksgiving food. To give thanks means to give and share. At the end of the day we are always the ones who have been most blessed.Nancy Arnot Breaking With TraditionWhen my 4 boys were young, they found many of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes to be not to their liking. We broke with tradition and let each one pick his favorite dish. One picked macaroni and cheese, one corn-on-the-cob, another loved artichokes, and finally brownies for dessert. We still follow this practice now when they come over with their young girls. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without their favorites. Of course, we still have the traditional turkey, ham and have to have stuffing! But no pumpkin or mincemeat pie.Judy Sutherlin The More the MerrierBesides have the Turkey and bread stuffin',Thanksgiving would not be the same without the whole berry crandberry sauce. The one tradition I have tried to follow with my own family is that we take this one day out of our busy lives to sit down as a family and give thanks for all we have with our family and friends. We also share in the sentiment that there is an "Open Door" policy and the more the merrier.Phyllis May Our Family HeritageIn our family, we try to add heritage to our Thanksgiving meal. We are in the majority of Italian descent, so mostly our meal is Italian... with a turkey, of course. But many of us have spouses from different cultures, so we add these foods. One of my cousins and her family bring Irish soda bread every year. Another cousin, he and his wife, bring baklava to celebrate Greece. My aunt and uncle add a a great curry dish, as he is from India, and we bring a large black forrest cake to celebrate my husband's German heritage. This year, as one of my cousin's is a newlywed, we will be adding yet another dish to our bountiful table. My cousin's wife's ancestry is Filipino, and I can't wait to sample whatever they made bring. I guess we are a real American family, the kind the pilgrims meant for America, all different, and yet all undeniably American.Maria Martin Breaking With TraditionWhen my 4 boys were young, they found many of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes to be not to their liking. We broke with tradition and let each one pick his favorite dish. One picked macaroni and cheese, one corn-on-the-cob, another loved artichokes, and finally brownies for dessert. We still follow this practice now when they come over with their young girls. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without their favorites. Of course, we still have the traditional turkey, ham and have to have stuffing! But no pumpkin or mincemeat pie.Judy Sutherlin The More the MerrierBesides have the Turkey and bread stuffin',Thanksgiving would not be the same without the whole berry crandberry sauce. The one tradition I have tried to follow with my own family is that we take this one day out of our busy lives to sit down as a family and give thanks for all we have with our family and friends. We also share in the sentiment that there is an "Open Door" policy and the more the merrier.Phyllis May A Special Thanksgiving GiftMy husband and I celebrate by making one of the spreads featured in Bon Appetit's yearly November issue from appetizer to dessert. In 1998 I spent Thanksgiving in the hospital giving birth, so this year we get a bonus. Our baby Lucy's birthday is on Thanksgiving!Donita Considine A Special Thanksgiving GiftIt used to be that every year my Mom and Aunt would trade off, on who would have Thanksgiving or Christmas at their houses. Well 2 years ago it all changed, now everyone who is in town at Thanksgiving comes down to my house. I make the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and a dessert. Everyone else brings a dish; Mom brings green beans in mushroom soup, my Aunt brings deviled eggs, my sister brings the chips and pop or milk, my other aunt brings a candied yam dish that is absolutely yummy, and then my mother-in-law brings the vegetable tray. And of course Grandma brings all the grandkids and great-grandkids candy, just to spoil them, but she loves it. Thank you for letting me tell my story. I am glad that I get to do Thanksgiving because we live 2 hours away from all family and traveling up there just gets to be too much because we drive up there for Christmas. Thank You!!Monic Stransky
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