Our family is big on traditions! Growing up, my family had a number of traditions as did Tom’s family, and when we got married, we were surprised at the number of similar traditions we had. Our children have grown up with traditions sprinkled into every holiday like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Thanksgiving as well as birthdays and special sporting events like the CFL’s Grey Cup and the NFL’s Super Bowl. Our girls have come to love our traditions and are starting traditions of their own with our boys.

This Thanksgiving I decided to add a new tradition. I’ve often thought how thankful I am to be a part of the family and country that I am, along with the friends that I have. Last year I saw a visual reminder of this with “Turkey On The Table”. As our family grows, I want each member to have a sense of gratitude for what they have in their lives. I want each of them to have a resilience and thankfulness in their life.

As with any new tradition I’ve tried to add, “Turkey On The Table” was met with some groaning by my boysJ When adding traditions, I add them slowly and let each person participate in the way that they feel comfortable. I knew this tradition was one that we could easily do every year and it would enrich our time celebrating. As each person added their personal “thankful” feather, our turkey became more decorated and became a representation for each family member’s gratitude. Our “Turkey On The Table” is a strong visual reminder of all that we have been thankful for this year and will be a tradition every Thanksgiving.

Kathy Watson

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via Cooking Classy

One of my favourite Thanksgiving recipes is for Pumpkin Pie Dessert Bars. A friend made these many years ago for a Thanksgiving staff luncheon. They were so delicious we were all asking for the recipe! I have continued to make this recipe at Thanksgiving for my family as it can be easily adapted to a gluten free dairy free diet like mine and it still tastes yummy.

The friend who shared this recipe has since retired, yet every time I prepare this recipe I am reminded how thankful I am for her mentorship and the teaching she gave to so many little ones. This year I am going to send her a note thanking her for what she means to me and how her pumpkin pie dessert bars are still enjoyed so many years later.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Bars

**Gluten Dairy free adaptations are in (brackets)

Preheat oven to 350F
13 x 9 inch un-greased cake pan

Base:
1 ½ c quick cooking rolled oats (GF oats)
1 ½ c packed brown sugar
1 ½ c all purpose flout (375 mL or approximately 1 ¼ c GF flour)
½ tsp salt
¾ c butter (Margarine)
1 egg

Filling:
3 c pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
¾ c packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp ground ginger
3 eggs
1 c evaporated milk (lactose free or non dairy milk replacement)
¾ c chopped pecans if desired  (* I omit this for my family☺)

Base: In a bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, flour and salt. Using 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers, cut butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and mix well. Set aside 1 ½ c of the mixture and and press remainder evenly in pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Place pan on a rack to cool slightly.

Filling: In a bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Pour evenly over baked base.

In a small bowl, mix together reserved oat mixture and nuts. Sprinkle evenly over filling. Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until center is set. Place pan on a rack to cool completely then cut into bars and serve with a dollop of whipped cream. 

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via Momastery.com

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