Giving Thanks

We hope that everyone had an absolutely fantastic Thanksgiving with all of their friends and loved ones. Stewart and I went down to his dad's house in Vancouver this year. Sometimes I dread Thanksgiving because I know that no matter where we are invited, we'll need to bring something to share. And being the terrible cook that I am, this concept of etiquette always manages to provoke intense feelings of anxiety for me. Other people always bring such amazing and delicious recipes, and it makes me feel like anything I could bring would just look and taste sad by comparison.

However, last summer at work Stew discovered this amazing recipe called Cowboy Caviar, and it became one of our absolute favorite foods. We made it once at the lake and Stew's dad and his wife became huge fans, so this year they asked us to bring it to Thanksgiving as an appetizer. Yay! Finally, something yummy that I could actually make myself! I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Cowboy Caviar is really only good when it's extra fresh, so we stopped and grabbed all the ingredients once we got to Vancouver, and on Thanksgiving morning (a few hours before the guests started to arrive) I began chopping everything up. This salsa-like dish has tomatoes, avocado, black-eyed peas, corn, green onion, garlic, a ton of cilantro and a delicious dressing to mix it all together.

It was kind of a Mexican style dish for Thanksgiving, but once people tried it they absolutely could not stop eating, so I was very proud of myself for delivering a successful appetizer. I know chopping doesn't necessarily constitute cooking, but hey it was a big step up for me! We normally just show up with Martinelli's apple cider and a store bought pie or something.

We are very thankful for everyone in our lives, and we wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season!