Thanksgiving Traditions and Recipes

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us! Here are some staff members’ Thanksgiving traditions and recipes:

Traditions

My dad’s family has a famed (infamous?) Depression-era tomato soup cake that has become a Thanksgiving staple.
Liz Chase, Iwasaki Library

My family eats homemade chocolate cream pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning and has leftovers the next day. (It’s also a tradition on Christmas and Easter.)
Richelle Devereaux-Murray, Performing Arts

Years ago, my parents started coming to MA for Thanksgiving instead of my sister and I driving to NY. Three out of four Fullers will eat turkey, but we don’t love turkey. Thus, the Fuller Prime Rib Thanksgiving tradition started. We still make a small turkey breast for my mom, though.
Kellie Fuller, HR

I’m the fourth generation to stay up the night before Thanksgiving to make an unreasonable number of pies and desserts. Last year, I made the fewest pies I’ve ever made in my life. We had no guests (pandemic), and my pie plates were packed because we we were mid-move. So, I made six pies, a cheesecake, a loaf of bread, a “scraps pie” (which is a Pyrex container baked exactly as it sound), and pudding.
Shaylin Hogan, Graduate Studies

Thanksgiving has morphed many times since my parents came to the US from India. It has primarily been an immediate family holiday, because we didn’t have much extended family in the US—especially in the 1980s, when we first moved here. My mother would normally make something like chicken or lamb biryani, traditional foods of North India. As my parents became more immersed in American culture, the turkey emerged. The turkey was still Indian-style, with spices and curry. We began a new tradition in 1996, when we started spending some Thanksgiving weekends on Long Island, where my mom’s cousin had moved. Now Thanksgiving takes on a whole new meaning. My mom still enjoys being the one to do most of the cooking, and I bring the chaos with my 6-, 4-, and 2-year-olds. The turkey has lost most of the Indian spices and is instead doused in its own natural juices.
Sharon Schiffer, Career Development Center

Recipes and Tips

Deviled Eggs

I don’t quite have a recipe for it, since I just throw stuff in until it’s about the right consistency and flavor. Steam eggs until hardboiled consistency. Add to yolks and mash: softened butter, tiny bit of mayo, yellow mustard, and drained horseradish (otherwise it’s too much vinegar). If you cut a thin slice off the bottom of the whites, they sit flat on the plate, and you can use the little slivers in the hollows of the whites to cover any rips or thin spots. Fill the whites with the yolk mixture. Spill too much hot smoked paprika on top.
Elena O’Malley, Iwasaki Library

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

My one tip for chocolate bourbon pecan pie is to use really nice bourbon but only a small amount. Also, there’s no point in maple syrup in a pecan pie with chocolate or bourbon in it, because the chocolate and the bourbon will completely overpower the maple, no matter what the proportions.
Elena O’Malley, Iwasaki Library

Hope everyone has a safe and restful Thanksgiving break next week!