For Christmas dinner I love to do a beef tenderloin, mushrooms, baked potatoes, salad and/or asparagus. It is one of the few times during the year that the entire extended family sits down to dinner using all of the "nice stuff", silver, china etc. Thanksgiving is a food extravaganza. Everyone has their favorite dish, dressing, sweet potato souffle, mac & cheese (two versions one from the blue box and the other homemade)pinto beans, cole slaw, green beans, dumplings, *"snake salad", and gallons of gravy! The turkey is not highlight of the day, just the excuse to make all of the other goodies. Dessert is pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, at least one cake or brownies. *Snake Salad is a funny name my Father came up with to entertain my 5 year old niece. It is actually a Jello salad, see recipe. Catering a wedding on the beach for 100 using a vacation rental kitchen. Having two recipes printed in the local paper, the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. One was a Cucumber & Vidalia Onion salad and the other was for Tomato Pie. Frying chicken for my now husband. I brined the chicken, marinated it in buttermilk and then used a seasoned flour for the coating. I tried to deep fry it and against all laws of physics the temperature went UP when I added the cold chicken. (I have witnesses) Anyway, the crust was brick hard and the chicken was under cooked inside, discovered this once we got the hammer out and chipped off the crust. Two days worth of effort went straight into the trash and we ordered a very yummy pizza for dinner. Oh well....we ended up married anyway. :-)