Let’s face it – Thanksgiving away from family downright sucks. 2 years ago, we spent 11 hours trapped in a car during a brutal Thanksgiving snowstorm on our journey home. Young and reckless, we abandoned common sense and rendered ourselves impenetrable to danger. Sadly, after several near crashes that left me white-knuckled and humming Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” – we opted out of Thanksgiving at home thereafter. 

Last year, we decided to turn our quiet Thanksgiving, the first apart from my family in several years, into something of a Rebel event. We threw tradition to the wind, and developed a quirky twist on the classic Thanksgiving feast in an attempt to reconcile our guilt for not driving home.  The pups joined in on the cooking, and I made sure my girl could spend time in the kitchen with her mama- one of her favorite places in the world. 

rebelthanksgiving-1

We took all the Thanksgiving food staples and repurposed them into dishes we could snack on all day. The menu? Turkey and Cranberry Flatbread, Stuffing and Potato Empanadas (seriously, any excuse to use my deep fryer…), Sweet Potato Fries, and Butternut Squash Soup. For dessert, homemade Pumpkin Pop-tarts. 

rebelthanksgiving-4 rebelthanksgiving-3 rebelthanksgiving-2 rebelthanksgiving-5

After dinner, we lounged in fat-pants and brought in the Christmas holiday season with several of our favorite holiday films. rebelthanksgiving-6

It wasn’t the same, but our creative kitchen prowess turned into a memorable day for the two of us, something that we will never forget.  More than anything, it was my last Thanksgiving with my little girl, and going through photos left me longing for another tight hug around her perfect neck. I asked Scott to take photos of my kids, as I knew in my heart it would be the last Thanksgiving feast together as a family of 4. 

rebelthanksgiving-9 rebelthanksgiving-7

This year, we have decided to stay in Virginia again after a wedding took us home last weekend. Too much travel, so instead we are embracing another holiday just the three of us. Ivan looks forward to Turkey as much as anyone. We are making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and plan to enjoy the leftovers for several meals to come. 

What are your plans? Any of you deciding on a quiet holiday? Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving, all! 

-Al