For some it’s a road trip, for others it’s a day at home with the promise of a mountain of leftovers. Here’s a sampling of what the HMA team looks forward to at Thanksgiving:
Katie and her mom take a road trip to dairy farm country in Delaware to visit extended family. Of course, Chingu, Katie’s dog rides along for a day full of farm fun and any leftovers she can beg (Chingu, not Katie!). Mashed potatoes top the food favorites list for Katie.
Keith’s mom always makes homemade bread and pumpkin pie from scratch. Lucky guy! Keith says this year they’re making Thanksgiving Day dinner the Friday before, so his friend from Spain can enjoy before he returns home.
Sabrina’s family rents out an entire fire hall for the afternoon and uses the kitchen to make roasted turkey, ham with pineapples, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, lima beans and every kind of pie you could think of. After dinner, everyone plays games that she and her parents used to play when they were younger: red-light/green-light, Simon Says and tag.
For the last four years, Jason’s brother starts off the holiday for the family by running in a road race. Jason cheers him on and later they usually enjoy an “amazing frozen whipped cream pie creation.”
Taylor’s great-grandmother reserves a massive leg of turkey for each of the guys. He says, “This barbaric club is delicious, and because it can be held easily, it doesn’t take up room on the plate!” Translation–there is plenty of room for more food on his plate.
Cheers to Kalani—his family’s tradition involves champagne! He’s a Dallas Cowboys fan, so of course the game is on. He says, “We are pretty traditional–turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and veggies.”
Thanksgiving is right down Amanda’s alley—the bowling alley that is. That’s where her extended family heads the night before Thanksgiving. “It’s something simple, but it’s something everyone looks forward to each year,” she says.
Mandy is another Cowboys fan so she also watches the game after dinner. This year she begins a new tradition—a second Thanksgiving meal with her fiancé Cory’s family. She’s looking forward to marshmallow sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cheesy crockpot potatoes and all the desserts everyone brings!
Rita’s favorite food items include fried turkey and a version of a deep-dish, non-pie-crust pumpkin pie that her Mom makes. Her traditions vary each year depending on where she spends the day and what family members can attend.
Tomas says his family usually gets invited to friends’ houses. However, this year he plans to visit friends in Canada.
Jamie admits she is not a fan of Thanksgiving, although she has been known to heap on the mashed potatoes!
Kris will continue the tablecloth tradition on the Castner side of the family. “Being that we were kids, we were always drawing all over everything anyway–our parents thought it would be cool to let us all sign our names on the tablecloth after our Thanksgiving gatherings. This started on my dad’s side of the family, who had six kids. We all loved the idea, and every year from then on, we saw our signatures mature and change. I can find the last signature my grandma signed that we commemorated in gold thread, enclosed by a sewn heart.”
Kim loves to cook for her family—a fresh turkey from the Turkey Lady at Central Market and pumpkin pie for sure. She usually always throws in a new recipe or two. As long as the weather is decent, she and her family take an after-dinner walk through the tree-lined streets of her neighborhood. The next day, her husband and son tackle the “exterior illumination” for the Christmas season.
Drew loves watching the Macy’s Day parade with the kids, even though they are in their 20s don’t really pay any attention to her. She looks forward to cooking her corn pudding and hopefully nothing else!
Much like her fellow HMAers, Colleen always looks forward to an extra helping of mashed potatoes. Her dad, uncle and cousin have create a unique tradition of exchanging and enjoying interesting craft beers.
Whatever your traditions amount to for the holiday, may you be in good company at your feasting table and may there be plenty of whipped cream for your favorite pie!
What’s on your plate for Thanksgiving dinner this year?
