Fear of Thanksgiving

I have to admit that I don't always trust people's cooking. I know my mom is a good cook, so I enjoy going to her house for dinner. I know Shannon is a good cook, so I love when she invites me over. I know my sister-in-law (and my brother, for that matter) is a good cook, so I get excited when I'm invited to eat with them.

Beyond that, I get a little nervous when people invite me over for dinner. If you've never proved to me that you're a good cook, then I'd rather go out to eat. No offense to you. You might be the best cook in the world, but until I've tasted for myself, then my trust for your cooking runs low.

Food is pretty important to me, and if you ruin a good thing, then I'll leave disappointed and may never come back.

Above all meals, Thanksgiving is my favorite. It's my favorite holiday, by far, because of the delicious food, the football, the long weekend, the family, the, well, thanksgiving of it all. I love green bean casserole. Stuffing is my favorite. I could take or leave the turkey, but give me the corn, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the stuffing. Load my plate high. Let me enjoy the food. Let me go back for seconds.

And then there's dessert. Pumpkin pie. Cool whip. That's all I need. I'll skip the other pies, but give me a good pumpkin pie and I'm in heaven to complete this amazing feast.

Only my mom can perfect Thanksgiving. Her mashed potatoes are free of lumps. Her gravy is thick and fatty (just as it should be). Her green bean casserole is heavenly. Her stuffing is made from scratch and delightful. I don't want any other Thanksgiving meal than hers.

When I was invited to Josh's family Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but feel a little fear. What if they don't have green bean casserole? What is the stuffing is made from a box? What if the gravy is runny? What if the mashed potatoes are lumpy? Could my mom make the meal and bring to Denver?

And then Josh told me the worst thing he could have said: "My family talked about doing a themed Thanksgiving this year. I heard mention of an Asian meal or Mexican meal."

WHAT? You CANNOT have Asian or Mexican for Thanksgiving. I almost bailed.

But then I received an email from his mom asking me to sign up to bring something. On the list was turkey and all the regulars. Phew!

Josh, I'm back on for Thanksgiving.

I still hold fear that the food just won't be as good as mom's. It probably won't be. But I controlled what I could control. I signed up for a few things that I know I won't mess up. At least three things will be delicious, made by my own hand.

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Cake Roll

I covered the important things.

Dessert.