It's Thanksgiving in Winter!

On Tuesday I was going out and about with just a sweater. On Wednesday it started snowing. The heavy, thick wet snow that really sticks and makes a great snowman. We got hit! YES! I love snow.

We wake up Thanksgiving morning to being blanketed with snow. Every twig and branch and last stubborn leaf is coated. It was a beautiful morning. And since one of my sisters made the turkey for today, I got up in the daylight. YES! The view out of our bathroom windows faces East and our pond, and with the sun coming up with all the snow framing the pond, and the pond looking so dark in contrast to the snow... well, it was just too dang beautiful.

All I had to make this year for Thanksgiving dinner was mashed potatoes and corn. I have a potato peeler thing, but you still have to do a lot of "clean up" on the 'taters. I think I peeled and cooked more potatoes yesterday than I have in the past year. But, man were they good. I also use a "secret recipe" for corn.

Corn is important in my family. Growing up and well into adulthood, we used to grow tons of it in my folks' garden, then we'd pick it, husk it, clean it, blanche it, cool it in ice water, cut the corn off the cob with an electric knife, scrape all the good juicy stuff off the cob into the corn, pack it and freeze it. Pull it out on a winter's day and it's summer in your mouth. So, here we are in the 21st century and no one has time to grow a garden lately, and my mom and dad are old enough now not to care too much about it. It's kinda sad, actually.

Anyway, can't be canned corn. Has to be frozen. But... regular bagged frozen corn is kinda cardboard-tasting-like. My secret recipe, where henceforth ain't so secret, is 1 large bag of frozen corn (any variety), 2 boxes of Green Giant white shoepeg corn in butter sauce, and 2 -- yes, 2 -- sticks of Real Butter. Dash or 2 of salt. Mic it til it's done, but not over. And viola! Corn. Worthy of eating.

Thanksgiving dinner yesterday was 19 at the table. Well, 2 tables, actually. We were missing 1 person only (my adult niece who is now doing "every-other-year" with her boyfriend/fiance). It was so nice. I'm thankful for my wonderful family.