Freedom from Want

HOLIDAYS are rooted in tradition. That’s what makes them unique and personal. Every Thanksgiving day, for as long as I can remember, my family completes our Norman Rockwell “Freedom from Want” puzzle before dinner is served.

Thanksgiving cerca 1987 at my Grandparents'

As a child, my cousins, sisters and I would be corralled to the back room of my grandparents’ house where the pieces would be spread out on a card table for us. We huddled around the tiny table hoping to put two pieces together before anyone else, but also secretly trying to keep warm in the drafty den. What served merely as a distraction for me as a child has recently become my favorite activity of the day.

Thanksgiving cerca 2007 at our house

Now, the crowd is usually reduced to Barberree, my only living grandparent, and I. We sit silently next to each other sipping our holiday drinks and placing the same soggy pieces that we have for decades. A couple years ago, I realized that one day I'll be the only one left at the table. But until then, I am most thankful for the moment when the last piece is placed, and she looks up, winks and says, "How about that."


*This holiday anecdote was also a contribution to Mastering the Art of Thanksgiving, a fantastically festive zine created by Miss Sarah Handelman. After you put your Thanksgiving pants on you can settle on the couch and flip through all the wonderful tidbits she brought together.


**Barberree and I started the puzzle yesterday when she came over to help my mom and I "chop things." We have the perimeter done and ready for others to join in :)

Alternative Thanksgiving Preperation 1

Brown rice stuffed squash with sauteed kale and pine nuts (yes, we are obsessed with kale).

After the stuffed acorn squash disaster of 2010, my always-supportive mother found this MEATLESS stuffed squash option (the ladies in the video are hilarious). It was so amazing that it has automatically been added to my Alternative Thanksgiving menu. I might substitute the rice based stuffing for traditional bread stuffing on the actual day though.

I love to eat even though, to most people, my options are seriously limited. The truth is, the possibilities for lactose-intolerant vegetarians are endless these days, especially with a little creativity. AND, Thanksgiving doesn't have to be about binge eating dairy and fat and carbs. It can be about eating healthy, delicious food to a proper full feeling :) This will be my third year with an alternative Thanksgiving, and I think I have finally found some recipes that are keepers, including this stuffed squash. But don't worry, I'm not giving up my "Thanksgiving pants."

Last night's dinner: polenta triangles with tomato sauce (from the William Sonoma Vegetarian cookbook) - not for Thanksgiving but still awesome.