Just in Time for the Holiday Season
As the holiday season (quickly) approaches, I find myself thinking of food. And traveling. And eating food while traveling. But mostly just food.
More to the point, Thanksgiving food traditions. Every family’s got them. I remember hearing that some families had tossed salad as part of their Turkey Day line up. I was shocked! (I was sheltered as a young child from such travesties.) What a waste of plate space! But maybe it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the ranch dressing to you.
I also grew up expecting all Thanksgiving food to be made from scratch (with a few exceptions) so you can imagine my dismay when I discovered some families go to restaurants or buy frozen Mrs. Smith pumpkin pies.
I really need to be more open-minded when it comes to other people’s holiday eating customs. So, tell me, what are your holiday food traditions? I’ll share mine and promise to not recoil in horror, even if you prefer steak to the signature bird.
Turkey and gravy (cooked breast side down for a juicier fowl)
Ham (for the times my non-turkey-loving aunt and uncle came for dinner)
Stuffing in the bird
Oyster stuffing outside of the bird
Cranberry sauce (in the can, told you there were exceptions)
Mashed potatoes (with cheese, sour cream and chives mixed in)
Baked corn
Green bean casserole
Candied yams (or sweet potatoes)
Orange Jell-O salad or Strawberry pretzel salad
Yeast rolls (from a bakery in town)
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
Pecan pie
Okay, I do have a confession to make though. In all of my consternation about holiday food traditions that differ from my own, I neglected to admit my family does have an unusual custom (or maybe not…you’ll have to let me know if your family does this, too.) We have appetizers on Thanksgiving around 11am normally (with the big shebang happening at 3:30pm typically). It is definitely something I have missed since getting married and not always being home for Thanksgiving. The actual appetizers differ from year to year but we generally rotate the same ones in and out. The favorites are shrimp dip with sesame breadsticks, spinach dip in a King’s Hawaiian bread bowl, olives, artichoke dip with triscuits and sausage balls. We ALWAYS have gingerale with sliced lime to drink.
