My Third American Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving I brought the salad. There is an unwritten rule that each dinner guest is required one serving of said vegetable in order to justify the rest of the feast. So, I lovingly and painstakingly toiled at making candied walnuts for this breathtaking salad. Two batches later, and a phone call home to Mom, I had some sweet and edible nuts to make the salad a little more tempting. All in all, it was a salad of spring mix with apples, candied walnuts and balsamic dressing. Not too shabby.

I feel like Thanksgiving dinner is the only meal in which you can combine every item on your plate and still end up with a tasty forkful. Turkey and stuffing: Good. Cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes: Good. Turkey and stuffing, salad (mandatory serving) and jello (yeah...jello!): Great! I think my next "Laura in the Kitchen" Blog should be a recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers. I call it the "Thanksgiving Leftovers Smoothie". Put your favorite combination of leftovers inside a blender...or I recommend a Magic Bullet if you have one, pour in some gravy and pulse! Its that simple folks!

And of course nothing finishes off Thanksgiving dinner like pumpkin pie and ice cream. There is no coincidence to this choice. They save you the inconvenience of actually having to chew.

Around this time in the meal, I get delirious as I talk about my imaginary relationship with Justin Timberlake and how we met at a Zumba class, laughing so much it makes me want to hurl. Finish up with some "Catch Phrase" and its a success. Another good ol' American Thanksgiving!