Pie crusts progression.

The sweetness of ginger and nutmeg are wafting through the air. Homemade pie crusts on the pumpkin pies this year. The potato salad recipe has been improved by adding bacon. (Hey, anything is better with bacon, right?) Over the years, the cook has progressed from oodles of noodles to homemade crusts. Pretty impressive, but it wasn't always so.

Thanksgiving cooking always brings on the ghosts of cooking failures past. Like the first meal I ever made for  Frank.
Me: "Frank, I have meatloaf and peas ready for supper. You hungry?"
Frank: "Ummm...no. Not yet."
An hour later.
Me: "Are you getting hungry yet?"
Frank: (Sheepishly) "Sharon, I absolutely HATE meatloaf. And peas. I'm so sorry. I was trying to be nice, but there is no way I can eat that."
(And we still married!)

I've already told you of nearly burning down the house with the Oodles of Noodles. Can't forget the cherry fold-over thingy that I made one year for our pastor. He loved them and I was so proud of the way it turned out- golden and flaky. I carried it, head held high, into the fellowship hall. When he cut into it, the dough (yes, dough, not crust!) stretched like melted cheese. I was mortified!

And my all time favorite (true story here): The year I was out on my own for the first time. I had a brand new coffee maker. My thinking was, 'hey, if it will heat liquid, it should be fine to heat up chicken noodle soup, right?' (Back in the days before microwaves, by the way.)  When I came back into the kitchen, soup was running down the top of the coffee maker, where the noodles had blocked the hole, and onto my counter, dripping into the floor. In my defense, the soup was hot.

Many times, more than I can count, I would call mom. "Mom, what is that meat called that you use with the carrots and potatoes?"
"Beef roast?"
"Yes! Where do I find it?"
"In the meat section, Sharon."

Then there were the years when I reasoned, like the M&M's commercial, that if a recipe called for 250 degrees for 1 hour then I could cook it in half the time by cooking on 500. I was the burn queen for a long time.

Now, I watch as the younger women try their hand at cooking, Rebekah surprising us all with the strides she has made. Amber, Lord only knows how, is already an amazing cook. Sarah can make mashed potatoes. They are progressing nicely.

When you sit to eat tomorrow, be thankful for women who have tried and failed, but kept on trying so that you could enjoy your meal :)
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