I have established a few Thanksgiving traditions in past years.
The first is a 5-10K run on Thanksgiving morning. This began on Thanksgiving Day 2006 when my brother Adam and I ran a 10K in San Jose before Thanksgiving dinner. It was a great feeling to eat that delicious meal after running 6 miles. I decided to make it an annual event, althought this year it was a 3 mile run. Here are the members of the Thanksgiving 2009 Stockton 5k. It was a great event filled with a tour of Stockton, a few wild turkeys, a run past the Stockton Jail, and a train crossing.
My next tradition is to try making something new each year. The problem with this tradition is that when the something new turns out good, people want you to bring it again. Pretty soon you have a lot of things to bring to Thanksgiving. This year my something new was a chocolate ricotta tart. It is was so good, but a little rich for eating after Thanksgiving dinner. I think it will be a good tradition for New Year's. Here's a picture before I cooked it.
My last tradition is old and new. My family always had a relish tray at Thanksgiving dinner, filled with pickles, olives, and cherry peppers.
Because of this tradition, I always bring a relish tray to the places I am invited. I was not sure what to do with the leftovers until I had a muffaleta sandwich at Jason's Deli. Now I take the leftover pickles, olives, and other items and chop them up into a relish. I buy some good bread, Italian meat, and cheese and make muffaletas. It is yummy and makes a nice alternative to Thanksgiving leftovers. Here is a picture of the sandwich before I grilled it.
Here's to friends, family, food, and traditions old and new!
