Pots and pans

Traditions are found in odd places, sometimes. For most of our children's lives, we lived on the other side of the country from the rest of our extended families. We built up our own holiday traditions; because they were entirely within our own home, they soon became set in stone.

A little over a year ago, we moved cross-country and things changed. We're sharing our holidays. But sometimes, we're discovering, we need to keep our own traditions, too.

So this year, we're giving thanks twice. Once in our own home, just like we did for so many years, and once with the rest of our extended family. We're having our traditional meal today, with everything cooked in the same pots and pans that they've always been cooked in. That's where I began this post; I just put the stuffing and the yams into the oven; the stuffing in the big round one, and the yams in the oval one. The turkey is in the smoker, and the veggies are on the stove, waiting their turn to boil.

I changed the dessert, though. I'll take my pumpkin pies to the family dinner tomorrow; I made a pumpkin cheesecake for tonight.