Thanksgiving 2017

Everyone has their own traditions for thanksgiving. This year I asked around eager to learn about people’s different traditions. It was quite fascinating. I was happy to make the connection that what everyone had in common was unity. I think that is what makes thanksgiving so comforting. No matter where you are, who you are with, what you eat, or what you do, everyone comes together to be thankful for what they are given. It’s a beautiful thing. Ask people about their traditions, it may influence you on what your own families will be in the future. So, let me tell you a little bit about my family’s thanksgiving. Every year my grandma prepares an amazing thanksgiving feast. She has a binder with everything thanksgiving related printed and in plastic sleeves. It’s all planned out. This is the way it’s been since I was born. I have always admired her organization and preparation. This year, for the first time, I was able to contribute. Today, “thanksgiving eve”, we made everything we could make ahead of time for tomorrow. This consisted of sweet potato casserole, breaded cauliflower, stuffing, and glazed carrots. Then tomorrow we will finish by making the turkey, cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, corn, pecan pie, lemon cake, and homemade ice cream. Out of all that the sweet potato casserole is seriously what I look forward to most. Usually I only experience these amazing foods by eating them, but this year I was able to help make them. Since I have been so obsessed with bread lately, my grandma let me make the bread for the stuffing. My bread came out pretty good this time. I let them rise for 23 hours but they were not as dark as I would’ve liked. I think I could have fixed this by letting them bake a little longer. Other than that they tasted great, and worked just fine for the stuffing. I also plan to make some bread just to enjoy tomorrow, which will include the focaccia I recently found success with, as well as plain white bread. This made me extremely happy, knowing that my bread will be “featured” in this years feast. That is the best part about cooking: sharing it. We spent 5 and a half hours cooking today and I never got tired of it. Days like this are what I am thankful for most.

Bread used for stuffing.