By Thanksgiving 2022. The annual tradition continues in this kitchen that has held every holiday since I started cooking through cancer and came out the other side with a cast iron skillet and a refusal to stop. I am 39 and Thanksgiving means what it has always meant: too much food, the right people, and the gratitude spoken aloud because life taught me that gratitude unspoken is gratitude wasted.
The table is full. Mason (11) and Lily (9) are here, growing taller and more themselves with each passing year. Tom is here, beside me, where he has been since the day he showed up with wildflowers and patience and the quiet understanding that love is not a grand gesture but a daily one.
Brett is here — always here, every holiday, every Wednesday, the constant brother in the wheelchair who has been my anchor since we were children on a ranch that no longer exists. Kyle calls from wherever the Army has him, and his voice on the phone is the voice of the brother who left and came back and left again, and the leaving and returning is the rhythm of this family.
I made harvest pasta this week, because Thanksgiving demands the food that says: I am here, you are here, we are together, and together is the only word that matters. The recipe is the same as last year and the year before and all the years stretching back to the ranch kitchen where Diane stood at 6 AM making cinnamon rolls for a family that ate them without knowing they were eating love. I know now. I've always known. And I make the food and serve it and watch my family eat and think: this. This is why I survived. For this table. For this food. For these people. For this.
The harvest pasta always anchors our Thanksgiving, but what closes the meal — what sends everyone from the table full and quiet in the best way — is something sweet and spiced and unmistakably autumn. This pumpkin patch pudding has become that thing for us: it asks almost nothing of you on a day when the oven is already working overtime, and it gives back exactly the warmth the season calls for. I make it for Mason and Lily, who scrape the bowls, and for Brett, who never says much but always takes seconds, and for Tom, who has learned that the way I love people is to feed them until they can’t argue with being cared for.
Paul’s Pumpkin Patch Pudding
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes + chilling | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- Whipped cream, for serving
- Graham cracker crumbles, optional for topping
Instructions
- Whisk the base. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cold milk and instant vanilla pudding mix for about 2 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly.
- Add the pumpkin. Fold in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Whisk until fully combined and smooth with no streaks remaining.
- Taste and adjust. Taste the pudding and add a pinch more cinnamon or brown sugar if you’d like a warmer, sweeter flavor — this is your kitchen, make it yours.
- Chill. Divide the pudding evenly among 6 serving cups or bowls. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until fully set and cold.
- Serve. Top each serving with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbles if using. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg