Nov. 20, 2011
April Wefler
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The dorms are due to become a ghost town this week. If you happen to walk around campus from Nov. 23 to Nov. 25, you might even see tumbleweeds.
Thanksgiving break is fast approaching, and many students will be going home. Even if students may not celebrate the holiday, they still look forward to enjoying their favorite meals.
Susan Kim, senior, will return home to Denver for the break. She said that sometimes her mom will make Korean food, along with ordered dishes like sweet potato casserole.
If Kim goes to her dad’s for Thanksgiving, her aunt will make a huge feast for about 10-15 people, including a turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving meals.
Other students, like junior Katie Grant, will stay in Colorado Springs. She doesn’t have a traditional Thanksgiving but still recognizes the occasion with food. She celebrates with four or five families – most of them, including hers, are South African.
“One family is Greek South-African, so they bring Greek food. My family is Polish South-African, so we bring Polish food. English South-African, traditional English dishes,” said Grant.
The families bring many different desserts that are unique to South Africa.
“We bring milk tart, which is like a custard. It’s a traditional South African dish,” said Grant.
Then there are a few students who will opt to stay in the dorms. Chad Kushner, sophomore, will be staying on-campus for Thanksgiving. He’ll just be hanging out and fending for his own on Thanksgiving day.
“Frozen pizza, probably. I have a kitchen in Alpine; might cook a turkey.”
He might also cook stuffing and mashed potatoes.
But one food is for certain: “There will definitely be pumpkin pie. Costco has really good pumpkin pie,” said Kushner.
Wellington Mullings, senior, will not be celebrating Thanksgiving. Because he is from the Bahamas, Thanksgiving is not a national holiday that he celebrates. Even for those like Mullings who do not celebrate the holiday, you can always make a dish to share with friends or family and share what you are thankful for.
Freshman Gail Castan, for example, likes green bean casserole. Castan said that all you need to make the dish are green beans, a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of celery soups, and then French onion crispy chips in the casserole and on top.
You then bake the casserole for about 20 minutes. In a nine-by-13 inch pan, you could probably serve about 15 people.
Josh Nelson, junior, enjoys another type of casserole: broccoli and rice.
“In broccoli and rice casserole, you steam broccoli and you steam the rice separately and mix it together with a pound of Velveeta cheese,” said Nelson.
Once the ingredients are mixed, you bake it for 30 minutes at around 350 degrees, and then let it cool for 15 minutes.
These are only a few recipes friendly to those of us who may feel lost around a stove. Even if your plans for Thanksgiving involve nothing more than sleeping in, sharing a special treat with friends or family is often enough to express your appreciation.