Last year I was lamenting the fact that our holiday meals are sometimes so steeped in tradition that I am afraid to mess with the menus too much lest I get a lot of flack from our families. I played around with a couple side dishes at last year's Thanksgiving menu. Imagine my surprise when, a couple of days ago, my mother asked if I was going to make one of those experiments again this year, a squash with coconut milk dish. This dish had a few raised eyebrows last year. I mean really, a dish with coconut milk at my extended family's German table? It was funny.

So, the coconut milk and squash dish is here to stay for a year or two. This year, I am taking out the apple pie and putting in a gingerbread-pumpkin trifle that I found in the latest issue of Gourmet. I am going to switch up the green vegetable too, but I have not figured that one out yet. I might even play around with the turkey, using a different glaze.

I still think that I had better stick with trying different stuffing recipes on other days though. Mom just would not understand if I replaced Grandma's recipe with another on a holiday.