I’m thankful for:

My family

the fact that I love and get along with my siblings

My friends

Life!

The fact that I can choose what sort of life I want to lead

that I can walk

and see

and hear

and think.

That I see beauty

that I have a blog

that people listen

that my friends, family, and pets are healthy

that I am healthy

that I can bake

and read

and write

That I’m safe

and happy

and educated

and that I have a ton of clubs and activities

And FOOD!

But

overall

I’m thankful for

peace, love, and happiness.

For everyone.

Where ever it can be found.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, y’all.

Green salad with herbed buttermilk, and some of Lizzy’s corn soup.

Sweet corn tortellini.

and Honey panna cotta.

It was delicious.

It was weird.

I found that the three people across the table from me, who had never before met, were all part of the same religious cult.

I learned that pear soda is delicious, and, in this particular case, tasted slightly of elderflowers.

Yes, it was weird and delicious, and altogether quite a good evening of meeting new people and hearing “Honey, I haven’t seen you since you were five, but I’m…”

And now I’m exhausted.

So, goodnight.

I would bake you a cake.

I would sing a love song.

I would capture the wind.

I would tame the ocean.

I would leave my fears behind.

I would dream big.

I would be a poet.

If I could tell you my love, I would tell you everything I see when I look at you.

You are drop-dead gorgeous.

You are talented.

You are funny.

You are gentle.

You are flawed, and better for it.

You are forgiving.

If you could smell my love it would smell like

Lemongrass

fresh ginger

spring grass

feel-better tea

Denise’s grilled cheese

Christmas cookies

brown sugar

cake!

If you could hear my love, it would sound like

the ocean

laughter

the wind

leaves in the breeze

a flute

“Anything, Anywhere”

If you could see my love, it would look like

dawn burning in the summer sky

a rainbow in the spray of a sprinkler

a messy kitchen

If you could feel my love, it would feel like

a fire in the winter

a blast of AC in the summer

Your hug

You love the life you live, you live the life you love.

I admire that, more than you know.

I love you, Mommy.

1. It’s delicious.

2. It’s fun to make.

3. It’s quiet.

4. It gives me an excuse to be in Denise’s kitchen.

5. It makes people happy.

6. You are what you eat, and I want to be sweet.

7. Cake doesn’t lie; people do.

8. Cake is easy to make.

9. Cake is comforting.

10. It’s a part of who I am, so I love it, because I love me.

Why I love to cook:

1) food is delicious

2)It’s relaxing

3)When I cook dinner, I don’t have to do the dishes afterward.

4)People admire people who cook well.

5)It gives me something to do

6)People like my food.

7)I like to make people happy

8)It makes me proud whenever I make something well.

9) Cake doesn’t bake itself, you know!

10) Because cooking is part of me, and I love myself.

Butterscotch-Banana Cream Pie

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. milk

3 slightly beaten egg yolks

3 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 9-in. baked pastry shell

Meringue (recipe follows)

3 bananas

Filling:

In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over med.-high heat till bubbly. cook and stir 2 mins. Remove from heat. Stir a moderate amount of hot mixture into yolks; immediately return to hot mixture; cook 2 mins., stirring constantly. remove from heat.

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

6 tbsp. sugar

Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice bananas into cooled pastry shell. Top with hot filling and meringue, in that order. Bake for 12-15 mins. or until meringue is golden. Cool.

Hope you like this recipe!

We have something of a tradition: we eat (a lot) and we make fun of the inane commercials, and when the actual football happens, we mill about, or play pokemon, or glue ourselves to our computers. Anyway, this year we are going to eat cream puffs, 7-layer dip, spinach artichoke dip (made by my brother, remarkably. He cooks very well, he just doesn’t do it often), Swedish meatballs, green cheese balls, jalapeno poppers, and Philly cheese steaks. Yum.

All in all, a very acceptable way to pass a Sunday.