I’m a Christmas junkie. But lord do I LOVE me some Thanksgiving.

What is it? The turkey? The parade? The gorging until even your elastic pants won’t forgive you? For me, it’s always been about the smell of the house and the family at one table that lends the magic to the holiday.

Last year Scott and I decided to spend our first Thanksgiving together at home in WNY. We had been dating almost a year, and figured we would attempt the dueling Thanksgivings and master the art of eating two turkey dinners. Sadly, if you recall, there was an epic ice storm that plagued us from the moment we left town until we reached our destination. What should have been a 7 hour drive turned into a 12 hour drive, and I vowed as my white-knuckled hands gripped the steering wheel that I would NEVER drive home for Thanksgiving again. By the time we reached the New York border, we were over the moon thankful when the ice turned to snow, but still worried that Thanksgiving 2013 would turn into the  “remember when we ended up in a ditch on 390” story that would linger for years.

Thanksgiving-3

Thanksgiving ’13

Needless to say, Scott and I are not driving home this year.

Sad to miss out on the giant traditional feast that makes the holiday one of my favorites, we decided on a new concept for tomorrow: THE REBEL THANKSGIVING.

It’ll be just the two of us, in our pajamas, cooking up Thanksgiving all Chopped-style. We have decided to take all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes (here is a link to our list of favorites) and re-purpose them into small plates that we can munch on throughout the day.

A sneak peek of our menu?

  • Turkey and cranberry flatbread
  • Butternut squash bisque
  • Potato and stuffing empanadas
  • Sweet potato fries

Still trying to convince Scott that avocado is a Thanksgiving food (hell, in my mind it is an entire food group) and I’m sure I’ll be able to work that in as well….

If you are traveling this holiday, please be safe. Scott and I posted last year about Thanksgiving Survival and Sticking to the Plan – if you’re in the two-dinner situation, we wish you the best of luck.

So what are your plans? Are you a Thanksgiving Traditionalist or Holiday Deviant?

-Al