I'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year . . .

I've managed to talk my mother into driving to my house this year, though I'd say it is 50/50 if she will actually get in the car when it comes down to it. The family Thanksgiving menu is pretty set and I'll be sticking fairly close (with a couple of additions) to the tradition - turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potaotes, corn, yams and dinner rolls. I may make a pumpkin pie, but I'll for sure make "Easy Pecan Pie" from the Delta Gamma cookbook. The sorority gave all senior girls a copy - the book must have been put together in the '50s by nice midwestern ladies, and is heavy on jello and casseroles, but it does include a GREAT pecan pie recipe:

1 unbaked pie crust

1 C. dark Karo syrup

1/2 C. sugar

1 1/4 C. melted butter

3 eggs

dash of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 C. chopped pecans

Beat eggs well. Add remaining ingredients to eggs. Put mixture in pie crust, and bake slowly in moderate 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Nuts will rise to the top and form crust.

I also recommend placing it on a cookie sheet for baking, to keep the oven clean.

The second addition to the menu is green beans with onions and bacon. The basic recipe for this dish is to cut up a few bacon slices, saute until nearly done, then add diced onions and stir until cooked. Add steamed green beans - but here is the twist I learned from Rachel Ray - add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds.

The vinegar and sugar add a subtle twist.

I'm off to the grocery store!