Why I Love Thanksgiving

11/14/2010

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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We've had it at our home for at least 10 years now, ever since my San Francisco cousin's oven "broke" a week before Thanksgiving, many moons ago. We have anywhere from 20-30 people--my cousins and their kids, my cousins' cousins, my Aunty and Uncle, my Mom and sometimes my niece or other Hawaii relative, our friend's Terry's parents, our friend Brian's dad, sister and Aunty, and sometimes, my college-aged nephew's friends and various visiting friends. 

Everyone is welcome and everyone is like family. Like a proper Hawaii house, we've never run out of food. Here's what we'll be eating:
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Turkey & fresh cranberry sauce--paradoxically, we love Spam, but wouldn't dream of eating canned cranberry "sauce"
Cornbread stuff with dried fruits--using my LA-Aunty's SoCal Buddhist Cornbread
Candied yams in all their buttery, marshmallow-ey finest--made by my Davis Aunty
Baked yams--also made by my Davis Aunty, for those of us who are supposed to eat better
Some kind of cooked vegetable--maybe Brussels sprouts, green beans or broccoli
Mashed potatoes & gravy, lots of gravy
Pumpkin pies (2)--"Full Fat" and Non-fat, made by my cousin
Pecan pies (2)---because one just isn't enough
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By now you're thinking, "Big deal. Everyone makes that." Here's what else we'll be eating:
Fresh sashimi--because it's not a proper occasion without it
Portuguese sausage stuffing
Either Chinese chicken or won bok coleslaw
White rice, inari sushi (made by my Aunty) AND spam musubi

Chinese noodles, char siu bao and assorted dim sum, brought by the above-mentioned SF cousins (see below)
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And for snacks:
Raw veggies and some kind of dip
Some sort of cheese and crackers
Spam musubi
Guacamole
Hummus and/or tapenade
Arare (Japanese rice crackers) and Maui onion flavored macadamia nuts

Everyone brings their 'specialty', and the variety (thinkThanksgiving Plus) is
what I love about Thanksgiving and my ohana. So where-ever you are--enjoy
the Thanksgiving Holidays with your Ohana. And tell me what you are eating!

Eat well. Be well.
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Finding the Absolute Favorites--It's Not Just the Food

09/02/2010

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Thanks Shutterfly's offer of a free book and my husband's thrifty ways, in two weeks, I'll have my very own Feeding My Ohana | Family Favorites hard-bound book. Print run = 1.

This turned out to be a harder task than I thought. Currently, Feeding My Ohana has over 200 recipes, and there were 18 8" x 8" pages for the book. What do you pick? Add three very opinionated at-home 'consultants' proposing their own preferences. "Why can't you put Spam musubi in there?" "But I looove broccoli salad!" "You can't seriously be thinking kamaboko sandwiches" and "I can't believe you're not putting lemon bars in"...
We came to consensus on most items, and have managed a detente for the rest, with side agreements to make the non-book ones in the near future. But why did we pick out these as our favorite? Tastes good, of course. Some of them, like tofu steaks or sesa-miso eggplant, were definitely descended from magazines and cookbooks, but we've made them our own, by adding, subtracting, or just plain changing things up a little.
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But beyond flavor, most of the family favorites revolve around a good time or friends and family. Shave ice, Rainbows plate lunch and malasadas always make us appreciate going home to Hawaii. Sugar cookies in the shape of our favorite Sharks (12, 22, 15 & 20) attacking a hapless duck bring together our annual Christmas cookie-making and our family Sharks games. Even the names remind us--my Mom's Chicken Katsu in Hawaii, Christine's Clam Chowder at our annual Christmas party, Steve's Hummus from my long-time boss, and Todd's Pecan Pie every Thanksgiving and Christmas.


So what are your family favorites? What do they remind you of?
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