For the past five years, I have been going to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving with my specialty: masala chai pumpkin pie. Soft with the perfect ratio of sweetness to spice, the pie makes the whole house smell like tea. Every time, at least one family member declares it the “best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.”
Simplifying Work and Focusing on Side Dishes
This year, however, my mom, who usually cooks most of the meal, said she wanted to simplify the work and just focus on the turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and could everyone bring a side dish? So, in addition to the pie, I offered to make mashed potatoes.
Preparing the Mashed Potatoes
But then.
Somehow, I let it slip during a family breakfast that I had never made mashed potatoes before. And everyone lost their minds. “What?!” “You’ve never made mashed potatoes before?!” “How?!” “We need good mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving!” “Maybe you shouldn’t make them?”
After much teasing, I closed my eyes and defended myself by reminding them: A) I have cooked almost every day of my adult life, and B) I would do a trial run.
Trial Run
The next day, I received text messages from my younger brother.
So, this weekend, I invited my family over for dinner, and I prepared classic Jenny mashed potatoes. When I served him a spoonful, my brother looked at me, raised his eyebrows, and said, “I don’t know, Janel, we’ll see…”
But, dear readers, I achieved success. They were creamy and everything we wanted. By the end of the night, the vote was unanimous: I could be trusted with mashed potatoes.
Your Thanksgiving Specialties
Today, I have eight pounds of Russian potatoes on my kitchen counter and a new recipe added to my Thanksgiving specialties. As I prepare for the busiest time in the kitchen, I’d love to know: what’s your specialty? Is it turkey with a special twist? Vegetarian dishes? A really nice bottle of wine? Or perhaps you bring something non-food related, like fun games or conversation starters. Please share your specialties below…
Note: Connect with family and 21 fun family board games.
(Photo by Nicole Heryot.)
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Previous Article
Food
November 20, 2023
By Janel Sanchez
What’s your Thanksgiving specialty?
For the past five years, I have been going to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving with my specialty: masala chai pumpkin pie. Soft with the perfect ratio of sweetness to spice, the pie makes the whole house smell like tea. Every time, at least one family member declares it the “best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.”
This year, however, my mom, who usually cooks most of the meal, said she wanted to simplify the work and just focus on the turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and could everyone bring a side dish? So, in addition to the pie, I offered to make mashed potatoes.
But then.
Somehow, I let it slip during a family breakfast that I had never made mashed potatoes before. And everyone lost their minds. “What?!” “You’ve never made mashed potatoes before?!” “How?!” “We need good mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving!” “Maybe you shouldn’t make them?”
After much teasing, I closed my eyes and defended myself by reminding them: A) I have cooked almost every day of my adult life, and B) I would do a trial run.
The next day, I received text messages from my younger brother.
So, this weekend, I invited my family over for dinner, and I prepared classic Jenny mashed potatoes. When I served him a spoonful, my brother looked at me, raised his eyebrows, and said, “I don’t know, Janel, we’ll see…”
This weekend, I invited my family over for dinner, and I prepared classic creamy mashed potatoes. When he served himself a spoonful, my brother looked at me, raised his eyebrows, and said: “I don’t know, Janiel, we’ll see…”
But, dear reader, I achieved success. They were smooth and buttery and everything we wanted. By the end of the night, the vote was unanimous: you can trust me when it comes to mashed potatoes.
Today, I have eight pounds of Russian potatoes on my kitchen counter and a new recipe added to my Thanksgiving specialties. As I prepare for the busiest time in the kitchen, I’d love to know: what’s your specialty? Is it turkey with a unique twist? Vegetarian dishes? A really good bottle of wine? Or maybe you bring something other than food, like fun games or a conversation starter. Please share your trademarks below…
Note: Connecting with family and 21 fun family board games.
(Photo by Nicole Heriot.)
Comments
247 comments
Write a comment
Type your comment here…
Previous article
Food
November 20, 2023
By Janiel Sanchez
Source: https://cupofjo.com/2023/11/20/special-thanksgiving-recipes/#comments
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