I remember one year just before Thanksgiving, my mother and her mother, got into a huge argument about the turkey. The argument was over having smoked turkey or baked turkey on Thanksgiving Day. I never understood why the argument over smoked verses baked turkey.
Fast forward several years later, I now have my own family. I reared four children, all opinionated. Good quality in children… anyway, my children complained that they didn’t want the traditional Thanksgiving meal. To be honest, I am a little tired of the same menu myself. However, instead of insisting on the ‘norm’, I asked what they wanted. Homemade pizza! Homemade pizza it was! Turned out to be one of the best Thanksgivings ever!
Traditional Thanksgiving
Ten countries celebrate Thanksgiving Day. In addition, four other countries celebrate a similar holiday. I’m not going to list all the countries who observe this holiday, but I am going to look at some of the menus.
Fried and pickled foods are a favorite in Eastern European countries. Germans like their purple cabbage garnished with bacon and crisply fried latkes.
Our Asian neighbors in Korean enjoy kimchi with added salt and gentle heat to traditional macaroni and cheese casserole.
Further more, Middle Eastern cultures chow down on Persian basmati rice stuffing made with pomegranate paste and goat cheese. Add in, labneh salad with sumac and cherry tomatoes.
Our Italian friends celebrate with an antipasto platter laden with salami, prosciutto, crostini, olives, cheeses, and stuffed mushrooms. Add on a vegetarian manicotti and your taste buds salivate in delight!
This is just a sampling of tasty food traditions around the world. Where is it written that in the United States, we have to eat turkey and dressing every year?
Spicing it up & think outside of the box!
For instance, change out some of the tired old side dishes for more interesting flavors of new dishes. Some thoughts are, baked Parmesan cheese zucchini, crisp, tender zucchini strips baked in the oven. Instead of mashed potatoes laden with cream and butter, consider oven roasted garlic parmesan potatoes. After that, add a little heat, try Jalapeño cornbread muffins.
However, don’t forget about desert! I love to eat different kinds of deserts. Consider buttery raspberry crumble bars or chocolate and strawberry cake. Recently, I eat fruit smoothies for desert. Throw in your favorite frozen fruit with a little Almond milk into a blender and in seconds you have a healthy substitute for ice cream!
Above all, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and remember all the blessing we have. This is a time of gratitude. Appreciate what you do have. Don’t focus on what you don’t have. The things or stuff in life is not what’s important.
Similarly, it’s important to keep our priorities straight. Life is not about what we accumulate. For instance, life is about the quality not the quantity. Give thanks for the people in your life. Yes, even the ones who are a pain in the neck. The difficult people are the ones who teach us our greater lessons in life.
In conclusion
Above all, relax and enjoy your time with friends and family. In other words, it’s not about the table settings and decorations. It’s about laughter, making memories, remembering those who are no longer with us. Enjoy the moment! Appreciate your loved ones! Be grateful for your blessing!
