Happy Thanksgiving – Giving Thanks

As we all know, giving thanks is part of our lives. We give thanks for our family, our friends, our blessings. No one knows this better than I do.

I’m grateful each day that I wake up, and am blessed with another day. That my family, my friends and acquaintances are safe and sound. That we are all as healthy as we are and will hopefully remain so.

I’m thankful for family and friends in my life. I’m thankful for family and friends that filled my life, but have now gone on to a better place. May I carry their memory and love in my heart for each of them. I wish the same for you.

Stephanie Queen wrote a tribute to Donna Caubarreaux AKA Pepper Phillips on Monday, 23. You can find the post below.

Pepper was such an inspiration and bright light in my life, as well as the Authors of Main Street. I will miss her terribly. May she rest in peace. My prayers go out to her family and friends.

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share a couple of easy and Southern recipes with you.

This Potato Salad is tried and true for many, many years. Once you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll find it not so daunting. I hope you enjoy!

Southern Potato Salad

Feeds approximately 20-25 people

My sister-in-law, Pat Garrett, makes the best potato salad in the world. This is a variation of her delicious dish.

10 lbs. Red Potatoes (or Russet, your choice)(peeled or not, your preference) dice small or medium

1 extra large Red Onion diced small (Buy an extra small red onion, in case you need more)

4 large stalks celery (including tops) wash, dry then slice thinly or you can dice very small

2 jars cubed dill pickles (Not sweet) (can use dill relish, but not as tasty) Drain well

1 tbsp. salt

4 level tbsp. yellow mustard (or to taste)

5 or 6 large boiled eggs, refrigerate to cool.

About 4 cups mayo. You may need more mayo, depends on how dry the mix is once you fold into potatoes, celery, onion and pickles. (I use Hellman’s. I believe it makes a taste difference. You don’t want a thin or sweet mayo)

Step 1: Add peeled (or not) diced potatoes to pot, cover with water, add 3 or 4 tbsp. salt. Bring to a boil, turn down to low to simmer for about 15 min. Check potato for doneness after 10 minutes with a fork. If getting soft, take off heat and drain. Do not rinse. In a 2 gal. bowl, refrigerate potatoes to cool. Takes about 30 minutes or so. If some are a little warm, that’s okay. Push potatoes from side to side a couple of times with an extra large spoon to help cool. Do not stir. They won’t be chunky, but will be too much like mashed potatoes.

Step 2: While potatoes are cooking, boil eggs, peel and separate whites from yolks. Dice or chop egg whites. Mash yolks, with a fork not a blender or the mixture will be gritty, into about 2 or 3 heaping tbsp. of mayo until smooth. (As you would for deviled eggs) Stir in 3 or 4 level tsp. mustard into mixture. In bowl, mix 4 cups mayo with the mustard mix, add egg yolk mixture, then fold in egg whites. Refrigerate.

Step 3: Drain 2 jars cubed Dill Pickles. Dice onions, and celery. Add all ingredients to mayo and mustard mixture. Refrigerate.

Step 4: After potatoes are cooled, remove from refrigerator. Using a spatula to get all the mixture from bowl, gently fold in mayo mixture to potatoes. Do not stir too hard, you’ll have mashed potato salad.

NOTE: If you’re going to add more salt, add it to the mayo mix, so you won’t need to stir potatoes more than necessary. Do not add more than a tbsp. of salt to mayo, as it’s salty, plus the mustard and pickles are salty. Add more to taste, if needed.

This one is for the kids, but I still love them!

Chocolate Dumplings

My mom used to make these for us when she had no other dessert in the house. We loved them and could hardly wait for them to finish cooking. When the need arose, Mom’s imagination kicked in, and she could come up with about anything.

2 c. sugar

4 tbsp. cocoa

5 c. water

2 c. whole milk

1 tbsp. pure vanilla

If you like a richer sauce, use more milk and less water.

Mix all ingredients into a large kettle. Bring to a boil. Then mix a bowl of dough. Drop the dough with a spoon into the boiling mixture.

For the dumplings, Mom simply made biscuit dough. Mom’s biscuits are the best ever.

Bisquick is a speedy substitute for homemade biscuit mix. Use whichever you prefer.

4 cups bisquick

1 1/3 cup milk

Mix and drop by tbsp. into a slow boil of the chocolate mix. Cover and simmer approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Check once to make sure it isn’t becoming dry. Enjoy with a dip of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of Cool Whip.

On Thanksgiving, I hope your heart is filled with love and gratitude for all you are blessed with. Of course this is something we think of throughout the year, but on this special day, may your heart and mind overflow with joy. My heart is full, and my wish is that yours is too.

Enjoy your loved ones on this special day.

Happy Thanksgiving!