Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition

by Jason on November 10, 2009 · Comments

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image by clairity on flickr

image by clairity on flickr

Seriously, I can’t believe it! Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This is a big day in The DD household. 4 years ago we started a tradition. It all stemmed from the fact that me and my wife’s family have some pretty traditional holiday plans. And not just for Thanksgiving, but for all holidays. We knew that we were going to have to eventually take turns between families at each holiday event. To rectify the need to do this for all holidays we decided that we would host one holiday each year. So, this year is officially year four of our combined family Thanksgiving Holiday Celebration.

Each year so far, we have had over 30 relatives at this event in our somewhat typical family home. We move out some furniture in our family room and make it into a large dining room. Our living room becomes the conversation area. And each year it seems that there is a bit of a story that comes out of it`all. For example-

Year 1- Just chaos! Nothing really more to tell than we were just trying to figure out how to get it all done in the allotted 6 to 7 hours before the 12:30 go time. At that time we had a 3 month old, but we managed to pull it off and do it again the following year.

Year 2- My Grandmother in law passed out in the kitchen hallway. When she went down- I was on another floor and thought- WTH was that! I thought that maybe my nephew pulled over a wall hutch or something. I ran up the stairs and saw my grandmother-in-law flat on her back. As I was going through the steps of the ABC’s and what was needed to begin CPR, her eyes had opened. Ends up that she needed a pacemaker and her heart had just gone into atrial fibrillation for a few seconds. A little scary, but the pacemaker has been a lifesaver.

Year 2 Again- A distant relative brought her boyfriend (they are no longer a couple, and he is not involved with the child that they had together :( ). I tried to make conversation but he didn’t speak English, and, well I didn’t speak his language- no need to go into nationality. I truly did try, but he didn’t seem to want to have any part of it. While everybody was finishing up with desert I noticed that he was not around. I did a walk through of my house just because I thought- weirdo- and found him asleep on the couch downstairs. I think he was sleeping off a hangover. Nice!

Year 3- This was the year that everything started to fall into place. My wife was pregnant with our second child, but it all worked out pretty nice. This is the year that we felt like this tradition was truly a keeper.

So, in reality, the second year had the most memorable memories, but each year has it’s own little tweak. And in two weeks we will officially be kicking off the 4th annual Thanksgiving Holiday Celebration. This year I have some inclination to attempt to cook something with a little flare. Sure we will still have the honey glazed ham, and the grilled turkey. My parents will make a second turkey to help free up our oven. But I am thinking of trying a variation from the typical mashed potatoes. And for bread, well- the year that I made rosemary focaccia with sundried tomatoes (year 2) was a real hit and I think that I will be recreating that one again this year. As for cranberries, I love cranberries. When I grew up we only had cranberries for the holidays. Their deep red is a staple color during the holiday season. I will probably make cranberry scones for any early arrivals (sometimes the in-laws come early to help watch the children while we are preparing everything). And as for a cranberry dish- I am still thinking about it. As for the rest- well, that is what family is for. Everybody brings an additional dish to help fill any additional counter space that we might have. It ends up being a great gathering, which is why we decided to make it the Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition.

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Tagged as: Cranberries, Family, Holiday Tradition, Thanksgiving, Tradition, Turkey

  • Grilled turkey? Sounds interesting. What are you doing with the potatoes, you have me intrigued. I'm deviating from the menu I've had the last two years. This year I'm going to brine and smoke a turkey just to see if that makes me like turkey any better. Also, I expect a story cooking post out of all of this :)
  • Oh, yes! We grill a bird. It's actually quite easy. You can't use stuffing in the turkey, but since we have another bird from my parents it doesn't seem to matter too much. As for the potatoes- I was thinking either a twice baked or a version of possibly parmesan garlic mashed. Smoked turkey does sound good- maybe I'll throw some wood chips in the grill- see if that gives it any additional flare.
  • Sounds good. I do a garlic and parmesan smashed potato with chives and sour cream. I've got my turkey day post all outlined out tonight as I just researched my brine, rub and the mop I'm going to use to smoke the turkey. Yes, I have issues and probably should just turn blog into a cooking blog.

    I'd only add the chips depending on how long the turkey grills for. Anything less than 4 hours and you aren't likely to get much, unless you use hickory or something strong. I'm going with apple and pecan chips to let the smoke add a subtle flavor.
  • Thanks for the tip. My cooking time will probably be around 3.5 - 4 hours,
    so I might try it just to see what comes out. I'm curious about what kind
    of smoker you use - just to do some preliminary research on buying a smoker
    for future flavors. Also, I like your idea for smashed potatoes. I might
    go with that!
  • Sure, can't hurt, that is for sure. Anything less than three hours and you won't impart much from the smoke. What I use to smoke depends on what I'm smoking. When I do a pork shoulder I usually just use my Weber kettle and set up an indirect cooking method where the pork is on the opposite side of the heat. When I do my sausage, and soon my turkey, I use my electric smoker since it is so much easier to manage the temperature. I have a Masterbuilt, it basically looks like a dorm refrigerator, and you can get one new for two or three hundred.
  • How do I get an invite? It seems like even numbered years is where the action is.
  • We would set a place at the table for you- we would have to bring in another table to feed all of the weasels though! Yeah- I'm curious about what this even year will bring. You will definitely hear about it if it is worth telling :)
  • We're finding in harder and harder to manage the holiday traditions with everything going on. We've taken to a practice of rotating holidays. We'll be with my family for Thanksgiving and my wife's family for Christmas and then rotate the next. Seems to be the only way to keep it sane!
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