Blessings

Jaye picked a great book in November of 2002- Blessings by Anna Quindlen. Perfect choice since getting to know Jaye has been a blessing to everyone in our book club...One of my favorite sayings is "Of all the blessings that time and earth bestow, there is none so precious as one true friend". Reading books and sharing meals together has brought our group so much closer over the years.
Barnes and Noble says:
Blessings, the bestselling novel by the author of Black and Blue, One True Thing, Object Lessons, and A Short Guide to a Happy Life, begins when, late at night, a teenage couple drives up to the estate owned by Lydia Blessing and leaves a box.
In this instant, the world of the estate called Blessings is changed forever. The story of Skip Cuddy, the Blessings caretaker, who finds a baby asleep in that box and decides he wants to keep her, and of matriarch Lydia Blessing, who, for her own reasons, decides to help him, Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate, and who decides; the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community. This is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and personal change by the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer about whom The Washington Post Book World said, “Quindlen knows that all the things we ever will be can be found in some forgotten fragment of family.”

Jaye and Roxanne prepared a true Southern feast with hot chicken salad, frozen fruit salad, asparagus, and pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
Jaye had baby decorations and a Thanksgiving theme- read the book and you will know why!
The door prize was a box filled with a Walmart gift card, Quik Trip gift card, gardening tools and gloves, etc.

Jaye's Hot Chicken Salad
6 split chicken breasts, baked and cooled, cut into chunks
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 lg. pkg slivered almonds
2 tsp minced onions
1 can cr. of chicken soup
2 T lemon juice
4 cups chopped celery
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. accent
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Combine all ingreds in a large bowl and refrigerate over night. Pour mixture into casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve in lettuce cup.

Jaye's Frozen Fruit Salad

2 cups dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 1/2 ounces can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup sliced maraschino cherries
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 medium banana, sliced

Directions:

Blend together sour cream, lemon juice, sugar and salt in bowl. Stir in pineapple, cherries, pecans and banana. Pour into 1 quart mold or paper-lined muffin-pan cups. Cover and freeze. Let thaw at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

(The picture is of Jaye and her special blessing- her son, Mitch!)

So until next time, read those books, make those recipes, and be excited for my next blog- we are taking a trip on The Christmas Train...