Confession: I do not love pumpkin pie.
And from this was born my first nontraditional tradition for Thanksgiving.
My not-love for pumpkin pie has driven me to make pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin crème brulee and pumpkin cupcakes. All of my desserts have given my guests the taste of pumpkin, just not in the traditional pie form.
I have a clear vision of what I think a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner is, based on my own childhood. I always make my mother’s holiday mashed potatoes. I always make some version of turkey. But I find it interesting how different areas of the country have their own traditions. I have heard that seafood is used quite a bit in the New England states and that pecan pie is *the* pie for the South.
Here are a few cookbooks on the diversity of American Thanksgiving traditions that I personally found interesting:
- “New Thanksgiving Table” by Diane Morgan
- “Thanksgiving” by Ellyn Sanna
- “Thanksgiving 101” by Rick Rodgers
- “Thanksgiving Entertaining” by Lou Seibert Pappas
And the library has many more books on the history of and preparing your Thanksgiving dinner. Any fun nontraditional traditions your family observes? Let me know in the comments!
Read more posts by Meg on DBRL Next.
