Thanksgiving 2006

This is our first Thanksgiving alone, now that the nest is empty. (By the way, I was at Goodwill yesterday and saw a t-shirt that said, "The nest isn't empty until all their stuff is out of the basement!") We are having a scaled-down Thanksgiving and will plan on snacking on leftovers all weekend.

I decided to try something old, something new, something borrowed, and something true. The "something old" is my infamous three-bean salad, which is actually a four-bean salad by the time I am through adding onion, green pepper, seasoning, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). I have made three-bean salad every year and am always the only one who eats it. I'll try to talk Mom into taking a taste, but something tells me I will be enjoying it alone again this year.

The "something new" is frog eye salad. I've never made this before, but liked it a lot when I tasted it earlier. I had a recipe from Grandma O that looked really good. But I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to use the entire box of pasta, so wound up with enough frog eye salad to feed the ward. I hope mine turns out to be edible, or a lot of frogs are hopping around blind for nothing.

The "something borrowed" is deviled eggs, borrowing Lindsey's famous recipe. My first attempt was a mini-disaster. I guess I boiled the eggs too long or didn't cool them adequately before shaking them in the pan to crack the shells before peeling them. Or maybe I shook the pan a little too hard or too long. Anyway, when I lifted the lid, all I saw was yellow mush. It looked like the eggs had been through a blender! My second attempt was much better and my eggs look almost as good as Lindsey's.

The "something true" is my potato salad. This isn't really a traditional Thanksgiving salad, but potato salad happens to be one dish I make that is pretty tasty and usually turns out well. So why mess with success? I think it turned out okay again this time, but really need Laura and Jenny Liu here for taste testing. And now you see why we will be snacking on leftovers for the rest of the week.

I missed having everyone here, each person making his or her favorite dish and trying to find enough room in the kitchen and refrigerator to prepare and store the food. It was a lot more orderly, but not nearly as much fun, making the dishes by myself.

I am very, very thankful for the gospel and for each member of my family. My heart and prayers are with you on this holiday and I look forward to visiting with you in Utah for Christmas.