comments and conversation

Me, too, Molly. I have some pumpkins that are currently decorating the porch. I’m going to bake those and turn them into soup. The seeds can be toasted and eaten, as well. I haven’t chosen my recipe yet, but am definitely looking forward to the experience of warm pumpkin soup, now that the weather is turning colder.

Cerebrations.biz: Sweet potatoes (never that white stuff) with dates, raisins, and honey… Cranberries are ok if you are having Turkey. (I’m having roast beef.) So, I’ll make broccoli, with cranberries and peppers.
Sounds delicious, especially those sweet potatoes with dates, raisins, and honey. I love sweet potatoes and yams.

Christine: creamed onions and scalloped oysters are my favorite side dishes.
Those dishes sound delicious, Christine. I would love to use pearl onions for the creamed onions. They are nice and mild and would make a delightful treat.

Alana: Dare I say….green bean casserole? No, just kidding. Homemade cranberry sauce, and my husband’s delicious stuffing. But, speaking of green bean casserole, there was a three year span where I craved that green bean casserole, canned crispy onions, cream of mushroom soup and al. Then I got it out of my system. It’s not on the menu anymore.
Haha, I used to love that green bean casserole. OK, mostly, I loved the crunchy stuff on top. That was before I started reading food labels. Sometimes, being educated about food takes the fun out of eating. It does, however, lead to more creativity in the kitchen. How do you make fun stuff with nontoxic food? But, yes, cranberry sauce and stuffing. Quite yummy.

Alana: For all the fond memories I have of my Aunt and Uncle in Brooklyn where my Dad and I ate Thanksgiving dinner during my teen aged years, one not-so-fond memory is the yams with marshmallows I endured. And, oh yes, the bitter roasted chestnuts. The rest of the meal, though, was delicious.

What a combination of excessive sweetness (yams with marshmallows) and unpleasant bitterness (bitter roasted chestnuts)! Yuck! I’m glad that the rest of the meal was delicious!

Alana: I wanted to be “just like Lois Lane” when I was a girl. If not that, a writer. I became neither. In fact, what I did become was part of a profession that I did not know anything about growing up. Surprise, surprise, surprise!

And now, you are a writer, Alana! You maintain a great blog! Hey readers, check out Alana’s blog. It’s called “Ramblin with AM.” In my links section (to the right), there is a link to it.

Jean: I always wanted to be a teacher from the time I was old enough to realize I had to grow up to be something. I was a teacher for 38 years, and am now retired. I was fortunate enough to spend my career as my first and only choice.

There is nothing better than doing work that you truly love. Teaching was more than just a job for you. People who love their careers, as you did, identify strongly with them. Recently, I interviewed a teacher, who told me, “Being a teacher is just who I am… the kids make every day like an adventure.”