Will you be dining on turkey and memories this Thanksgiving? For the past three Thanksgivings, we visited kids and grands in three different states. Each one holds memories of anticipation, travel delays, cooking marathons and satisfying feasts. Our Remote Thanksgiving 2020 will be much quieter. This year, we’ll be mixing new ideas with old favorites: A remote Thanksgiving mocktail hour, pumpkin bread, a few family members via zoom. We are swapping a deli platter for turkey, coleslaw instead of sweet potatoes and mustard for cranberry sauce. For this Gramps and Savta, Thanksgiving 2020 will definitely be different!
In the spirit of resilience and half-full glasses, I’m sharing a cornucopia of treats and ideas to link generations during Thanksgiving 2020, including ways I’m expressing my gratitude and counting our blessings.
Share Favorite Thanksgiving recipes
Here are two of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes that span generations. You can enjoy making these “together while apart” or on your own.
Gratitude Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This pumpkin bread recipe was created by a much loved family friend, Phyllis, and makes three generous loaves. As it bakes, the house fills with sweet, spicy smells. I can picture her beautiful smile. An hour ago, I shipped off pumpkin bread loaves to our kids and grands.
Created in 1982, the synagogue cookbook with this recipe is full of appreciation and gratitude for a group of loving, talented women, including my mom. I love to read the inscriptions.
Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe with Apples and Chestnuts – Vegetarian
Created by Mim, this amazing Chestnut-Apple Thanksgiving stuffing’s secret ingredients are homemade croutons and apple cider. She’s been making this in our family since she was 10 years old. For Thanksgiving 2019, this recipe was made with siblings in different cites. Instead of eating together, we shared the photos.
Mim’s Chestnut and Apple Stuffing
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- 6 cups cubed country-style or sour dough bread. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, drizzle the olive oil
- 3 large leeks, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (approx.) olive oil
- 2 -3 stalks of celery, chopped
- Fresh sage – a few torn leaves or 1/2 teaspoon
- 3 Granny Smith apples, cut in chunks
- 2-3 packages peeled roasted chestnuts quartered (Trader Joe’sre perfect)
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Kosher salt, fresh pepper
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Make bread cubes (we do them a day ahead): Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake seasoned bread cubes with olive oil on 2 sheet pans (middle or upper oven rack) for about 15 minutes. Hide them where no one will snack on them.
In a large skillet, cook leeks and celery in olive oil, covered until softened. Stir occasionally. Add sage, apples, 1/2-1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered for a few more minutes. Stir occasionally. Then add chestnuts and pour apple cider over the mixture. Cook a few more minutes. Add parsley and bread cubes and toss to finish. Transfer to a large bowl to toss with bread cubes if skillet is not large enough. Spread stuffing mixture into a 9″ x 13″ pan or shallow casserole dish.
Bake uncovered at 375°F for about 30 minutes until top is a little crispy and golden. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
Below, our southern daughter-in-law shows off our scrumptious creation.
Share Online Yoga or Any Class
Since Thanksgiving is about gratitude, I plan to do a session from Yoga with Adrienne that my northern daughter-in-law shared with me. As you might guess, Adrienne’s free yoga class this week is called Gratitude Yoga. An internationally known teacher, Adrienne’s philosophy is quite simple: Find What Feels Good. She has a library of free YouTube classes for all abilities.
Watching Adrienne is like inviting an old friend into your living room. You can use the video chat aids found here on our blog with grands to watch Adrienne’s YouTubes together while apart. Or, each can watch on your own, and later enjoy chatting about Adrienne’s dog, her downhome Texas style, and her down dogs. Try it! You’ll be grateful you did.
Share Your Heart: Feed the Hungry
In these challenging times, I feel so fortunate to have food on our tables. More importantly, we have access to healthy food. Yet, right in our backyards, many people – many children – do not. After hearing on NPR about the sharp increase in families with children with food insecurity, you will see why this has become a priority for me during COVID. Additionally, this is a great discussion topic with kids and grandkids. How can they share with others?
Here are links to groups with high charity scores that help hungry people: Foodbanks across America.(Charity Navigator*: 4/4 ); Meals on Wheels America (Charity Navigator: 4/4 ); Doctors Without Borders (Charity Navigator: 4/4 ).
We can each make a difference with even $1, $5 or $10. That’s Thanksgiving. That’s connection. Discussing worthwhile charities is a chance to share values. At the same time, reviewing charity ratings* teaches how to evaluate where limited resources can be used most wisely. (*Ratings can change monthly).
Share Your Talent: A Remote Thanksgiving 2020 Quilting Project
Pillows Made from Ties Connect Generations
Since we are foregoing a Thanksgiving gathering to stay safe, we are also skipping the hours and hours of dinner preparation (in our family, we are all about the sides). Instead, my mom and I decided that we’d work on a project we’ve been wanting to tackle since my dad died: Quilting pillows from my dad’s ties.
Thanksgiving Day will be the perfect chance to take out the old colorful ties and get to work. We’ll reminisce about where my dad liked to wear each tie. Now, we get to create something new. Having the kids pick out their favorite ties via FaceTime is another way to connect across the miles. As timeless treasures, these will make great gifts. I can’t wait to see the finished products!
Give, Enjoy, Change it Up: Be Safe!
So, what do all these Remote Thanksgiving 2020 activities and memories have in common? They are all ways to process the change that is before us, to be creative and also stay connected while being safe. Helping our grands to be resilient and positive, to thank those we love, and to give to those in need is what Thanksgiving is about.