Thanksgiving Song Of The Day: "Feeling Good" - Nina Simone

While there isn't a lot of songs for Thanksgiving, I wanted to highlight a few songs about being thankful before diving into the winter holidays. Yes, I'll be posting holiday songs all December! Nothing like mistletoe and holly to get me back to blogging.

There isn't a specific "thankful" lyric in the pop/jazz standard "Feeling Good" but that feeling the song mentions (and evokes) is partially one of gratitude for a new day and new start. Each day we wake up is another chance to take on the world, and that's something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving Song Of The Day: "Thank U" - Alanis Morissette

While there isn't a lot of songs for Thanksgiving, I wanted to highlight a few songs about being thankful before diving into the winter holidays. Yes, I'll be posting holiday songs all December! Nothing like mistletoe and holly to get me back to blogging.

This is a strange song, but seems the most thankful of any pop song in recent memory. Alanis is listing all the things the is thankful for, like so many people do on Thanksgiving, but she actually thanks the ideals and places that have helped her during a quest to find herself after a breakup. It should be the national Thanksgiving carol.

Thanksgiving Song Of The Day: "Thank You" - Mary Mary & Kirk Franklin

While there isn't a lot of songs for Thanksgiving, I wanted to highlight a few songs about being thankful before diving into the winter holidays. Yes, I'll be posting holiday songs all December! Nothing like mistletoe and holly to get me back to blogging.

When it comes to songs about being thankful, Gospel music has you covered. This little ditty was on the soundtrack to the kinda terrible film Kingdom Come, which I owned on VHS and had the CD as a teenager. I never said I was thankful for good taste, did I?

I loved both Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin as a kid, and this was such a cool record back when it came out. A little dated now, but let's jam anyway!

Thanksgiving Song Of The Day: "ThankYou" - Dido

While there isn't a lot of songs for Thanksgiving, I wanted to highlight a few songs about being thankful before diving into the winter holidays. Yes, I'll be posting holiday songs all December! Nothing like mistletoe and holly to get me back to blogging.

One of the many things I'm thankful for in my life is my husband, Derek. So this song, which a little cloying to be honest, fits the bill quite nicely. I've had many "best days of my life" with (and without) him but either way, I'm thankful for the time we've had thus far. Sappy enough for ya?

Give Thanks...

Here in the US of A, it's Thanksgiving. For everyone else, it's just Thursday. Either way, I hope you're having a great day!

Here are a few things I'm thankful for:

My family. They mean the world to me, even when we argue and fuss. They love me, I love them. It's as simple as that. I'm thankful for Saturday nights at Aunt Tina's, watching her latest Netflix rental. I'm thankful for A'melanie and Aunt Deb who always seem to send me an email when I need one. I'm thankful for my sisters and my mom, even though we bicker like a bunch of tiny children. I love you guys.

My church. You probably have no idea how much I needed a community full of love to accept me. Or maybe you do, a lot of you have been in the same places I have. But y'all have gone above and beyond, even asking me to lead a Bible study. It warms my heart to know you think I'm capable.

My job. Yeah, I bitch about it all the time. But I bring home a decent paycheck, and I'm damn good at my job. I'm respected and liked there.

My music. On those days I feel at loose ends, there is nothing more soul satisfying than opening my iTunes and choosing a fun dance song to get me moving or an acoustic ballad to make me wistful or a heavy rock song to get my blood pumping.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your turkey (or tofurky. Or ham. Or lasagna. Or whatever...) and I'll see you on the flipside.

Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe: Fool Proof Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Step 1: Go to grocery store. Buy a large bag of local apples, Dr Pepper and Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. Also, that cute cinnamon mill! It looks like a pepper mill, but it has flakes of cinnamon sticks inside that you grind for fresh cinnamon. Fancy! What, buy cranberries? I'll just use the ones in the freezer I bought last year and forgot to put in the crisp. OK, that good. Let's go home.

Step 2. Eat just one Kandy Kake. OK, two. Drink some Dr Pepper, cause you need some caffeine. Mm, I think I need another Kandy Kake. Oh, so gooood. Yes, my 'O' face and my Kandy Kake face look the same. I can't help it! Turn on oven to like 375 degrees.

Step 3. Peel apples. First, twist off stems and recite the a letter of the alphabet with each turn. Whatever letter it pulls off on is the first initial of your future spouse. I get "F" on most of them. I don't know an "F" Justin Timberlake doesn't even have an F in his name... What was the name of that flirty cashier at Borders? "F" huh? File that info away. Cut apples into quarters, then core that neat way Rachel Ray does. It works! Huzzah! Ouch, cut thumb. Wash sticky hands, put on Band-Aid (R) Brand Adhesive Bandages. OK, cut the apple quarters into three or four pieces. Put pieces in large glass baking dish.

Step 4. Take off sweater, cause it is so stinkin' hot in this apartment when the oven is on. Drink more Dr Pepper.

Step 5. Get cranberries out of freezer. Rinse them off. They look wrinkly. Well, once they back they will look really wrinkly, and Mama said they would keep until next year. Consider using the new ones you bought to fill the centerpiece vase for the table. What Would Martha Do? She would make a fabulous centerpiece, that's what she would do. Screw it, the cranberries will taste fine!

Step 6. Answer ringing cell phone. "Hey, we're going to Ollie's, did you want to come along?" "I'm in the middle of making apple crisp, when are you going?" "We just pulled into your parking lot." "Um, I guess I can put the apples in the fridge and finish later." "OK!" Hurriedly pull sweater back on, turn off oven, cover apples with plastic wrap. Did I turn the oven off? Yes.

Step 7. Get back a couple hours later, cause we also went to Salvation Army Store and had lunch. Get apples out of fridge. They look fine, they didn't even get brown! Pour some sugar in a bowl. Add some cinnamon. Add some more. Shit! Too much! Add more sugar. I think that looks good.

Step 8. Pour sugar over apples and cranberries. Stir the apples until they are covered. Spill some on your jeans. Damn! These are my good DKNY jeans. I should have worn an apron. I should OWN an apron. Something cute, with little dancing chefs or fruit on it. Not a tacky "Kiss The Cook" one, though.

Step 9. Mix some sugar and flour together. Sugar to flour ratio is equal, right? I wish my mom could find the recipe! I called her last year, she told me but I don't remember. Google Apple Crisp. That's right, I can never find a recipe without oats in it. I never had oats on my apple crisp as a kid, and I'm not gonna start now! Screw it, I think it's slightly more sugar to flour. Add cinnamon. Looks good.

Step 10. Cut butter into little chunks, use pastry cutter to blend into crumbly texture. Shoot, the butter is still cold. My pastry cutter keeps bending around the chunks. I should have brought it to room temperature. I'll just use my fingers!

Step 11. Cover apple mixture with flour mixture. I hope this is enough. It needs more sugar, I don't think it'll crisp with that much flour. Pour some sugar on top. Sing loudly "POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME!" Laugh at your own amazing joke. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

Step 12. Bake for twenty minutes. Check on it. Not done. Bake another ten. Almost done. Bake another ten. Looks good, smells heavenly. See, no matter how hard I try to screw it up it comes out great!

Step 13. Shit. I should have bought vanilla ice cream.