I'm Thankful

...that I'm not in this picture. Yes, that is shag carpeting.

I'm also thankful that the two rounds of children's stomach flu we've enjoyed here lately appear to be over.

I'm thankful that I ordered a complete Thanksgiving meal from Caputo's, a local fabulous grocery and catering place. Thursday is my 37th birthday and I hope to avoid cooking and/or cleaning toliets despite the 25 folks coming over that day.

Of course I'm thankful for the usual friends and family, especially this year as there were many serious illnesses around. If every year is as hard as this has been, it is hard to imagine getting to 73 without white hair. My head went pretty gray this year for certain.

Lastly, I'm thankful no one has ever brought this "Molded Ham and Egg Salad" from my Mother's 1970's Joys of Jello cookbook to my home. I do make some things for Turkey day, and Jello is one of them, so I was looking through the books today and saw this (Yes, that's it in the picture.)

2 packages Jell-O Lemon Gelatin (always a bad start)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cups cold water

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

2 cups finely diced cooked ham

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

This one involves arranging egg slices in slightly thickened Jello, then folding rest of ham, celery, egg, onion into the rest and chilling until firm.

Amazingly, this is in the 'Keep Fit' section of the cookbook. Is that because no one wants to eat this?

I'm reading a ton for my Crimespree teen mystery column. I really enjoyed Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks. I've returned several adult books to the library only partially read lately. I am buying copies of Deborah Noyes' Ghosts of Kerfol for family for X-mas, as well as Patrick Jones' Stolen Car and Margaret Haddix's Found. I had the pleasure of being on a panel with these three fabulous folks during a short trip to Nashville a couple weeks ago for the YALSA Lit. Symposium.

Happy Thanksgiving!