NON-TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING FOODS

When you think of Thanksgiving, what are the foods that come to mind? Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, ham, green bean casserole, and dinner rolls are foods that are often found on Thanksgiving dinner plates. With this being said, many families still have a food that is unique to their Thanksgiving celebrations. 

Students and staff members at CCAHS were sent a survey about what non-traditional foods they eat during their Thanksgiving celebrations. Here are some of the foods that were included in the responses. 

NON TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING OPTIONS; GRAPHIC BY KALLI YORK

Students

One student’s family eats orange Jell-O with grapes and bananas on Thanksgiving. This tradition started when the student’s great-grandmother created a recipe for homemade Jell-O, and it turned out well. To make this dessert, the student’s family mixes orange gelatin mix with orange juice instead of water. The next step is to cut up grapes and bananas, and then mix the fruit into the gelatin mix. They then let the Jell-O set in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

One dessert that a different student’s family enjoys on Thanksgiving is strawberry salad. The student’s grandmother makes it every year using Cool Whip, strawberry Jell-O, marshmallows, and cut-up strawberries. 

Another student’s family makes tamales on Thanksgiving. They make this because it is a traditional Hispanic dish that is enjoyed by their family. Their family makes both Mexican tamales and Guatemalan tamales.

Additionally, a student’s family makes pasta, pizza, fried chicken, or nachos, depending on what their family members are in the mood for. Not everyone in their family likes turkey, so they make these foods so that everyone has something to eat that they enjoy. To make these foods, they usually keep it simple by either ordering the foods from a restaurant or by using frozen foods.

Staff Members

Now that we know the unique foods that students have on Thanksgiving, let’s look at what the staff members like to have. 

One teacher’s family makes homemade sauce, meatballs, and pasta for their Thanksgiving celebration. They do this because both of their dad’s parents came from Italy to America, and when they came to America, they put an Italian spin on Thanksgiving. To make this dish, they use an old family recipe, which is a secret, for the sauce and the meatballs. This teacher and their family make and prepare this dish together.

Instead of having traditional Thanksgiving foods, another teacher’s family enjoys pizza for their Thanksgiving dinner. They do this because it is a food that is commonly eaten in their family, and it is a good food for when they watch football on Thanksgiving. Typically, they either buy the pizza from a restaurant or use frozen pizza.

Additionally, one teacher’s family enjoys venison on Thanksgiving. While venison is considered a traditional Thanksgiving food, not many people associate it with Thanksgiving. They eat venison on Thanksgiving because their brothers would always visit to hunt during Thanksgiving. This teacher’s family usually serves the venison rare with rosemary, thyme, and sage. 

Instead of turkey, one teacher’s family eats tofu turkey during their Thanksgiving dinner. They do this because someone in their family only eats vegan foods. To make this dish, the teacher’s family bakes and bastes the tofu turkey with vegetable broth.

A different teacher makes spinach-artichoke dip for Thanksgiving. They make this every year because they made it one year and their sister enjoyed it. Their sister wanted the recipe, but the teacher refused to tell her the recipe, so their sister asks them to make this dish every year. To make this dish, the teacher uses spinach, artichoke, mayonnaise, cheese, and some lemon juice.