Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Saving Thanksgiving

When I read the following article, I turned sick at my stomach. It epitomizes all that is selfish and ugly in this season of “Peace on earth, good will to men.” And it usurps everything that used to be the family holiday that brought us together once a year to give thanks for our blessings, Thanksgiving. Read on and you decide:
A woman shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from merchandise she wanted during a Black Friday sale, and 20 people suffered minor injuries, authorities said. The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.
Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the items she wanted were removed. “Somehow she was trying to use it to gain an upper hand,” police Lt. Abel Parga told The Associated Press early Friday. He said she was apparently after some electronics and used the pepper spray to keep other shoppers at bay. Despicable!
Officials said 20 people suffered minor injuries. Police said they were still looking for the woman. The store remained open and those not affected by the pepper spray continued shopping. Scenes similar to this were reported throughout the U.S. and it left me wondering if this insanity had become the norm.
My family still keeps to the old-fashioned tradition of Thanksgiving. We refuse to bow to the latest rush to join the hoards of people who consider it a day of putting a monetary face on what used to be a day for family gatherings and the close-knit feeling of togetherness.
This year our family gathering was reduced a fraction by some of our regulars who were visiting their children attending college in other parts of the state. And it was a little more somber given the fact that my son was recuperating from a recent heart attack. He is coming along nicely but still unable to do cartwheels.
My contribution to the meal was my usual deviled eggs and sour cream potatoes that usually turn out well. But this year tragedy struck. When I was transferring the potatoes to a box for carrying them, the bowl tilted and what looked like potato soup began pouring out from all sides of the bowl. It was a royal mess. So I managed to clean it up and transfer it to another container. My grandson and I got it to my son’s house without too much spillage and when it came time to eat, we had a big laugh about the “potato soup” and everybody asked for straws to drink it with.
In trying to solve the puzzle, we decided the potatoes had too much moisture in them which made them turn out soupy. But it left us with a funny memory to relate next year in recalling Thanksgivings past.
And isn’t that what Thanksgiving should be about, Thanksgiving moments when the family gathers for eating and laughing and making memories. But not for “hey, I saved ten dollars on a coffee maker last year”. What kind of misplaced values is this?
So give Thanksgiving its proper place in remembering our heritage. Remember it as a historical event to be cherished and preserved for future generations….. not a day to be passed over for saving money. That was not what the pilgrims intended when they started the first Thanksgiving…

Delicious way to use up leftover turkey or chicken.

Turkey and Bleu Cheese Salad

2 heads Boston lettuce, broken into large pieces
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 pound sliced roasted turkey or chicken
4 ounces blue cheese
1/4 cup store-bought vinaigrette

Divide the lettuce, onion, and almonds among 4 bowls.
Dividing evenly, top each with the turkey and blue cheese; drizzle with the vinaigrette.