the food that binds us

I love the way food brings people together. I don't just love how it brings us together physically to eat the food (although that is always fun). I love how food somehow continues to bind us to people that come and go in our lives or loved ones we cannot always be with.

.

For example, as I am planning and preparing my Thanksgiving spread I'll be thinking of:

.

Suzy in New Jersey. Suzy is a great cook, excellent seamstress, exemplary mom, and really just a cool person. Suzy's Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes are on my Thanksgiving menu.

.

Mom in Missouri. Mom is in Missouri this week to spend Thanksgiving with Erin. Mom taught me how to make Apple Pie when I was oh, probably 10 years old. I've had the job of making the apple pie just about every year since. It's my favorite part of Thanksgiving preparation. It's really just not Thanksgiving without homemade apple pie. It's even more fun when I get to make it with Mom.

.

Maressa in California. Maressa and I were roommates at BYU 8 years ago. We were bridesmaids at each others weddings. 7 years later, we get to live near each other again. Our boys are friends, and I'm sure Lydia will be great friends with the little girl Maressa's growing right now. Maressa's Creamed Corn has been a Glauser family favorite for years. It's also on the menu.

.

Kerri in Arizona. I honestly think of Kerri every time I make gravy. As I'm throwing spices into the gravy, I always hear the phrase, "a little of this, a little of that" in my head. She's said that to me a few times and it just stuck. The gravy always turns out great.

.

Jane in Idaho. Jane has got to be one of my favorite people in the world. She deserves a post all of her own. In fact, she got one. Read about Jane here. Jane brought me dinner one night. It was Shepherd's Pie. At the time Jane was preparing for a downsizing move, so she also gave me the beautiful mustard colored serving dish she brought it in. I'm using Jane's dish to serve the rolls. I'm also making Jane's Sweet and Sour Meatballs for Christmas Eve.

.

Erin in Missouri. Matt and I spent our second Thanksgiving with my sister's family and she made a really good cranberry dessert. Every year I think about calling and getting the recipe, but after planning the rest of the meal I opt for Ocean Spray's canned cranberry sauce. I don't really like cranberries anyway. Erin also took me on my first Day After Thanksgiving Shopping Marathon that year. It was awesome. It hasn't been nearly as fun going alone in the years since.

.

Dori in New Jersey. For my birthday last year, Dori gave me the cutest little bowls in an assortment of colors from Anthropologie . I love them. I think if Dori everytime we use them. I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to use the fall colored ones for on my Thanksgiving table.

.

Kathleen in Heaven. Thanksgiving rolls remind me of my mother-in-law. One Thanksgiving earlier in our marriage, I was in charge of making the rolls. I did something wrong and they didn't rise. We baked them anyway thinking they'd rise a little in the oven but they just turned out to be more like wafers than rolls. Kathleen was so sweet and kept saying how good they were. They weren't, but she wanted me to feel appreciated anyway. She was always making us feel good about ourselves.

.

Kristin in New Jersey. While I'm planning my Thanksgiving menu, I have to plan my meals for the rest of the week right? Wednesday night we're having Sweet and Sour Haystacks with Kristin's fabulous Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe.

.

I can go on and on. I love the fond memories that pop in to my mind when I'm cooking of friends and family around the country that are somehow tied to the food I'm preparing.

.

At this time of Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for my family, friends, and all the people who have touched and blessed our lives in one way or another.

.

Who does your food remind you of?

.

While I'm at it, does anyone have a good pumpkin cookie recipe?