Carving out time to say thanks🍁🥧

It’s Thanksgiving week and whether you are reading this while waiting on a flight or stuck in traffic somewhere (with someone else driving!) or taking a quick break between visits to the fridge for leftovers, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for allowing me to pop into your inbox each week and be a small part of your writing journey. It is one of the things I am most grateful for every day, not just Thanksgiving. 

Today, I want to share a little Thanksgiving story. 

My husband and I host each year and have for two decades. It’s just my favorite. For years, I’d experiment with different dishes and now I have a set-list I adore (although the cauliflower gratin we tried last year became an instant repeat dish, so we’re still open to new additions). 

The one thing we always make is my Grandma Vogel’s Pecan Pie. 

My father requested it one year early in our time as hosts. It was something he remembered her making for Thanksgiving each year when he was a kid and he hadn’t had a good pecan pie in a long time, he said. This wasn’t something my mom made when we were growing up, so I called an aunt to track down my late grandmother’s recipe. Luckily we found the sister who had it and each year, I tweaked it a tiny bit until finally my father proclaimed it better than his mother’s. 

It might be one of my proudest moments. 

One summer, when I was a teenager, before the pecan pie was ever on my radar, we were visiting my grandmother’s house. My mom was praising Grandma’s pie crusts and asked for her secret. My grandmother looked at me and winked: 

“I use the store bought ones. Who has time to make pie crust?” 

The woman had seven kids, so I know she appreciated a good short cut. 

Now, even though I make the whipped cream from scratch and brine the turkey overnight and spend two days on the dressing, I use a store bought crust for my pecan pie. 

If it was good enough for Grandma! 

And let me tell you, that pie is still absolutely delicious without the blind baking and post roll-out counter clean-up. 

But here is the lesson for your writing (you knew there would be one, right?): 

There is no one right way to write. 

Just like there is no one right way to make a pie. Sure, Martha Stewart might disagree, but you know what? Even now that my father has passed, my kids insist that the pecan pie always be on the menu. There is no negotiating. It’s that good. And it’s wrapped up in memories of their grandfather and my grandmother. 

The best part? No one is giving me demerits for not making a homemade pie crust. 

Do what works for you. Focus on the filling. Make your writing delicious. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

PS – This week, don’t stress about the writing. Some of you may have loads of extra time to write while others can’t find a spare moment to sneeze. It’s all good. 

PS2 – I know this is where I’ve got you thinking about pecan pie, but I just can’t bear to part with this recipe. It’s too personal. But take a look at this cauliflower gratin. Seriously – there were NO leftovers last year. And no reason you have to save this recipe for Turkey Day!