Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving this year was a blast.  We spent it (along with the other days I had off) as a family hanging out together.  Dinner was of the traditional fare: turkey, potatoes, green bean casserole (more on this below), cranberry sauce, rolls, frog-eye salad (also more on this below), along with 3 kinds of pie.  Our close friends, Heath and Nicole and their two wonderful kids came over to help us devour the feast.  Despite our attempt to keep the meal somewhat subdued by beginning with each of us sharing what we were thankful for, at the end of the night, some of us (I'm looking at you, kids) were completely incapable of taking a decent picture.

Games were played, rug rats were chased, and laughs were had.  I was reminded once again how blessed we are to have friends good enough to consider as family.

*For those of you who may not know what frog-eye salad is, I'll tell you.  Frog-eye salad is a fruit pasta dish made with Acini de Pepe, pineapple, mandarin oranges, peaches, etc... (basically whatever kind of fruit you like, but the pineapple is important).  It is something I had never heard of until I married Sarah but her family has it every year at least at Thanksgiving and often at Christmas as well.  If you're interested, I can probably get you the recipe.

*As far as the green bean casserole goes, we have perfected the dish this year.  For all our lives, both my wife and I have been "traditional" green bean casserole people.  You make it with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, pepper, and fried onions.  This year, we added something and it revolutionized this dish.  Drumroll please............

Crumbled Bacon.

Yes, for all those out there who already know the power of bacon, this is probably not a surprise.  We had never thought of it, however, and it changed this dish for us forever.  We will never be making it without bacon again if we can help it.  It.  Is.  THAT.  Good.

Anyway, we are thankful for all of you and hope that this past year has given you much for which to be thankful and that you are able to realize as we do that all those blessings come from Him to whom we give thanks.

- Josh