Confession

Hi.  My name is Payson Cousin and I am a messy cook.  I am.  I keep my house straight, but my kitchen after a big dinner is a disaster area that deserves FEMA attention.  I also cook by seat of my pants, as it were.  Almost no recipes.  This is not a quality my sweet hubs especially admires.  He wants my lasagna to taste the same way every time.  I haven't managed to get it the same TWICE in 25+ years.

I added a dash of smoked paprika to my salsa and he hated it.  Sorry, honey.  I didn't mean to screw it up on you.  Then I made a pot of Posole and for flair, threw in some chipotle peppers.  It should have been good, but the green chilis I used came from our garden.  They are so hot that you can't exactly TASTE anything.  You just burn.

So Thanksgiving is coming.  Can you imagine what my kitchen looks like after Thanksgiving?  I cook everything from scratch, mind you.  No instant or pre-packaged anything.  No frozen pies.  My kitchen will be covered with flour, splattered with fruit and divinely fragrant.  Every bowl, knife and pot I own will be either full or dirty.  I have my tried-and-true ways of getting a moist turkey and smooth, flavorful gravy.  But my cranberry relish is a little different each year.  This year, I thought I'd throw in some pomegranate and see what I think.  The pies?  Who knows.  Whatever grabs me.  I have to make pumpkin pie because it's my favorite.  And I have to make pecan pie because the sweet hubs likes it.  The rest is up to my whim.