We’ve heard it quite a few times by now: “This Thanksgiving has been an unusual one.” As I like to put it, this Thanksgiving was both uniquely unusual and special. I’m used to a gathering of 14 family members that fill the dining room with booming laughs, funny conversations, and the clanking of silverware. Each Thanksgiving is initiated by my great uncle, who tells an initially random, but relevant story revealing a beautiful lesson. This year’s timeline of events was certainly different, but at the end of the day I was filled with even more gratitude than I could have expected.
At 9 o’clock in the morning, my family members from Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Ohio, and even Switzerland all chimed in to a Zoom call. We celebrated seeing our youngest addition to the family (baby Trey!), as well as the fact that all of us were healthy.
Food wise, typical Thanksgiving looks a lot like this: Nonno and my mom are laboring meticulously over the art of polenta, my grandma has prepared a gigantic bowl of her famous peas, and rests the lemony roasted sweet potatoes, stuffing, and sauces on her countertop as guests snack on blue corn chips and mixed nuts in anticipation. After people finish cleaning up their plates, I (often prematurely) dish my desserts over the main table, and my nonno, having picked up on my cue, begins preparing espresso for all.
This year, my family continued on with some of these traditions but with little twists, both intentional and not. Instead of a wet-brine turkey, after watching New York Times cooking videos with great appetite, we decided to go for Melissa Clark’s essential turkey roast which proved to be a more beautiful but slightly dryer version of my grandma’s. Brussels sprouts – once again a New York Times recipe – they were roasted alongside shallots with generous olive oil and were later dressed over with a Worcestershire and garlic-y lemon dressing. Mushrooms were sautéed with onions, salt, thyme, and black pepper.
Re-creating Nonna’s peas were my responsibility and one that I took with liberty. I did change it up and after calling her she know she said, “I knew you would change it up. I said if Kayla’s doing it, she’s going to try to change it.” I started off by caramelizing the onions, then I added minced garlic, and added frozen peas with a little bit of water to let them cook. Closer to the end, I added freshly ground nutmeg, black pepper, thyme, and extra salt to top it off. The result was a little bit more al-dente and restaurant-like than hers in terms of richness, but unsurprisingly hers are still better. Lastly, we had polenta, which without my grandpa at my mom’s side, didn’t turn out to the perfect texture that we are usually accustomed to, but was delicious nonetheless.
To me, desserts can never come quick enough and after finishing my last spoonful of polenta, I quickly plated my apfelkuchen cake (GF + DF), apple pie (GF + V), as well as my almond flour chocolate chip cookies (not pictured here as they vanished rather quickly).
Looking back on our compilation of plates, I realize that they each had their own significance. The polenta has been long-standing tradition in our family, Nonna’s peas are a staple, but there was also the brussel sprouts and turkey that reflect my mom and I’s infatuation with the New York Times, as well as the apple pie recipe (that comes from my favorite bakery) as well as my apple cake which was inspired by my international cooking post on Germany. Each plate fed me with great peace, love, and history. What could be more delicious than that?
Usually my grandparents table is filled with ruckus of several simultaneous different conversations. This wasn’t absent this year, as our Zoom call was a symphony of voices. But when it came to our table, between just the four of us, it was one conservation. My mom had printed out 30 thought-provoking questions, and we spent the entire three hour meal talking about what we learned from this year, the small moments, big challenges. This year has not been easy on anyone but it has certainly been harder for many. One of my favorite questions was what does giving thanks mean to you? My family insightfully said that it was a mixture of reflecting on all the things that have gotten you to this point and also just simply being present with whoever you are. I believe that it’s all of these things as well as just sitting back and simply reflecting: “Wow. I am in your path and you’re in mine. How incredible is that?” This year, despite all the chaos it’s thrown, I’ve met so many incredible people I otherwise would not have met. The opportunities that are presented or we present for ourselves are full of potential. At the end of the day, all we really do have is each other.
Sending love and peaceful thoughts,
Kayla