Thanksgiving Traditions with Jordan Tesfay

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, we look forward to planning our family gatherings. What meals we will cook, which football team to route for, and wage bets on who will be passed out on the couch first.

I thought it would be great to talk with a few celebrities to learn what holiday traditions they look forward to.

Italian born model Jordan Tesfay is the new face of Cover Girl Cosmetics. She is the first Plus Size model for the brand and works with Queen Latifah for the lines "Queen" collection. Prior to Cover Girl, Tesfay was an actress in films such as Deception and Carlito's Way.

When she's not hard at work, she's practicing yoga and spending time at home cooking for her family.

I caught up with her recently to see what Thanksgiving traditions mean the most to her...

Charles & Abby Moore (Aunt and Uncle) and Jordan

Every year, my family and I drive down to Maryland from our home in Brooklyn for dinner at my aunt and uncle's. Of course we have turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, but my uncle is also family-famous for his Thanksgiving cocktail, the 1988.

The decadently sweet drink features orange and lychee, and is named after the year he retired from serving our country in the military. My aunt's sweet potato pie is another major family tradition. It's low on fat and sugar but not on taste - you could never tell that she skips the butter and cream. I'd love to share the recipe, but I haven't been able to get it out of her!

For me, the most important part of these family festivities is the prayer my uncle leads, followed by naming the things we're grateful for. This is my daughter's first Thanksgiving trip and I'm so excited to continue this tradition with her as she grows.

Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanTesfay