Pumpkin carving is a tradition a lot of us take part in during the time of Halloween. However, many of us do not know the true history behind this odd and long lasting tradition. Pumpkin carving derives from a story brought over by Irish immigrants about a man named “Stingy Jack”.
Read MoreWith Thanksgiving break coming up and everyone planning to go home to see their families, a couple of our staff thought it would be fun to share some of our Thanksgiving favorites and how we usually celebrate.
Morgan Jacobus: My family’s tradition is a little outside the norm, but it suits our family perfectly. We don’t usually gather in a large setting with other family members, usually it is just the three of us: myself and my parents. However, we embrace our tight-knit unit in which we just like to lounge and spend time together. So, our tradition the past few years has been to get a smoked turkey breast from Honey Baked Ham (after all, there is no need to cook a whole turkey for three people), then make our sides in the morning, set up the goods on our kitchen island, and graze all day rather than sit down for a formal meal. Our staples include green beans made with bacon and almonds, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (box is our favorite, try not to judge), and my personal not-guilty pleasure is canned cranberry sauce. Some may cringe at some of the store-bought inclusions, but it suits our tastes, and it leaves time for us to just spend the day together.
Maeve Hushman: My childhood is peppered with memories of large family thanksgivings spent at my Great-Aunt Roby’s farm house. Their house in a less urbanized part of San Diego county was always greatly anticipated. My aunt’s house had huge trees, animals, and lots of backyard space for a little girl to ruin her nice white tights and pretty winter dress. It also had a counter top full of excellent food. After my Grammy passed away, this tradition of driving out to my aunt’s for a large Thanksgiving stopped. Instead, we had to redefine our traditions. Now, Thanksgiving is celebrated in just my nuclear family unit: my parents, my little brother, and me. On that Thanksgiving table there are always some must-haves: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry-orange sauce (my great aunt’s recipe), stuffing, green beans, apple pie and most importantly, rolls. My little brother is 17 but still remains a picky eater. He eats nothing but turkey and rolls with butter on Thanksgiving, so having a basket of warm dinner rolls is essential. My Thanksgiving essentials are mashed potatoes with gravy and the cranberry-orange sauce. However, I love to bake pies and for the past few years I have been the designated pie baker for my family. It is my favorite dish to prepare, even if the mashed potatoes are my favorite to eat.
On behalf of The Highlander, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!