Thanksgiving 2018: Chinese Hot Pot

For the last two years, we have spent Thanksgiving Day cooking a less-than-traditional Thanksgiving meal, but with traditional ingredients. Read more about this from our post last year, New Thanksgiving Tradition.

It’s now a tradition

Keith plans the main meal and I assist him in making it. I also have a few appetizers and snacks available. We basically snack for lunch as we are prepping the meal. Then we spend the day cooking and relaxing. Our friend, Randy, also joins us since his family lives out of state. Everyone Skypes with family when it’s convenient.

It’s a very laid-back day and we enjoy the slow pace of it. We’ve spent plenty of Thanksgiving rushing from one family event to another and although we’d prefer to be with family, it’s nice to have this time to slow down and reflect. Knowing that we will return to Indiana in a few years helps put this into perspective.

The menu

Keith decided Thanksgiving 2018 would have a Chinese spin on turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. He began brainstorming some ideas and even asked Yi for advice when he came to visit in October. By the week of Thanksgiving, Keith had the menu planned and the grocery list written.

Preparing for the meal

Keith and I went grocery shopping together, something we don't usually do because I prefer to shop alone. We were able to find the majority of the list at our local Smith's grocery store. We also shopped at a local Asian market, which had an incredible selection of various foods.

Keith worked on prepping some of the food the night before while I washed and chopped vegetables. Lexi made sure the floor was clean. It was a group effort. 😉

Thanksgiving day

We slept in a bit, enjoyed a lazy morning, and took some time to reflect on what we are thankful for. Keith continued with the food prep and I did a little last-minute cleaning. Then we Skyped with my dad, got cleaned up, Skyped with my mom, and about that time Randy arrived.

It was mid-afternoon and we had a few snacks while catching up with Randy. It wasn't long before we decided we were actually ready to start the meal and we came up with a great plan. COOK, EAT. cook, eat. COOK, EAT.

Keith began to make the cranberry sauce and fry the egg rolls. By the time our egg rolls were done, Keith's parents wanted to Skype. We were able to enjoy our appetizer while they filled us in on everything during the family get-together back in Indiana.

Then we cooked the potstickers and enjoyed another delicious appetizer! After that, it was back to the kitchen to finish the hot pot soup and another round of cooking and eating!

Finally, we took a break to relax on the couch and watch tv before our dessert! Randy was in charge of dessert and as always, it was the perfect end to the meal.

This alternating of cooking and eating worked out really nicely to space the food and kept us busy all day. I think we will cook this way next year!

Being thankful

As we enjoyed this wonderful day and delicious meal, it was easy to think about all the things we are thankful for! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving also.