Tell us about your Thanksgiving traditions

Over the years, I have had mixed emotions about the Thanksgiving holiday. On the one hand, I know the history of genocide carried out by European settlers. On the other hand, Thanksgiving has never been about Pilgrims.  For me it’s  my childhood memories of holiday family gatherings and delicious food that began on Thanksgiving. 

For many years I did not celebrate Thanksgiving. As a teenager I learned about the genocide of Native Americans during the settling of this continent and I was forever changed.  Later, when I became a father, I realized the value of taking time to honor our connections to family, friends and community.

What are you thankful for?

Today, while I still believe that it’s critical to never forget our history, it is just as important to honor the resilience of Native people and to seize every opportunity to give thanks whether you call it Thanksgiving or Indigenous Peoples Day. Now I choose this time celebrate the bounty of fall, the blessing of family and friends.

What are some special Thanksgiving dishes?

I make sure to break bread with my love ones every fourth Thursday in November. Ever since I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner I have always made macaroni and cheese.  As a child, mac and cheese was a mark of the season.  Between Thanksgiving and New Years we would have it at every holiday gathering. For me, no holiday feast is complete without it.

First I must confess, in the dozens of times I have made this dish, I have not used a written recipe or measured a single ingredient.  I come from an oral tradition and one where you mix in ingredients in the amounts that look and “feel” right.  As such, the list of ingredients isn’t exact. The amounts are my best approximation and should be to your taste.

Jakada Imani's Holiday Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
•    Teaspoon of cooking oil
•     16 ounce of elbow macaroni and or fusilli, shells (I like to mix them)
•    Half a stick of butter (you can use margarine, but unsalted butter is the best)
•    1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
•    1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
•    1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
•    1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
•    1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (the real stuff not the powder)
•    1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
•    1 green bell pepper chopped coarsely
•    1 red bell pepper chopped coarsely
•    1 yellow bell pepper chopped coarsely
•    1 bunch of green onions diced
•    1/4 teaspoon salt
•    1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1.    Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the oil and the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.
2.    In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter; add the bell peppers and green onions: stir into the macaroni.
3.    In a large bowl, combine the cheeses; mix well.
4.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5.    Transfer noodle mixture to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish Add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture.
6.    Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges.