OMG! Buffalo Chicken Wing dip!!! It will surely kill you, in a good way. This delicious train wreck of an appetizer shows up at every Kadet family occasion (we are from Buffalo) including Thanksgiving. It’s also a great breakfast! Enjoy with totilla chips and a Coca-Cola! I am VERY looking forward to tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving Holly!!,
I have a soft spot for Buffalo: good people, good food, and great memories! Are you actually from Buffalo itself, or the outskirts, like Cheektowaga or Orchard Park?
Hi Shauna! I grew up in East Aurora and lived for few years post-college in Buffalo itself (Allentown of course). My first journalism job after college was an internship at the Cheektowaga Bee, followed by a paying job with their big rival, the Cheektowaga Times!
I lived in East Aurora and Cheektowaga as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I was there from October 1995 to February 1996. We got snowed out of church on December 10, 1995 because it snowed three feet in 24 hours!
Oh wow yes I remember the Mormons walking around East Aurora growing up. I grew up a Jehovah's Witness myself so we likely share some similar experiences.
In New York, there was always a Kingdom Hall on the same street as our churches. I love western New York, especially the Buffalo area. I went to a Kingdom Hall meeting when I lived in Canandaigua.
Even though I’ve long had enough seniority to hold the day off, I intentionally work every Thanksgiving.
There are some very obvious reasons: light workload, good pay, and being done at 12:30.
I mean, No one I know has family over or Thanksgiving brunch, right?
Every year someone asks me what I’m thinking. And I get to tell this story:
In 1998, I took a temporary transfer to Memphis Tennessee. It was-and remains- the only time I’ve lived in the south. I worked in a hub surrounded by 100s of other coworkers and didn’t know a single one. I had just clocked in a few weeks prior- there hadn’t been time to make acquaintances, let alone friends.
The guy I rented a room from was off to visit his kids. My girlfriend at the time was working in Chicago. I was 1 guy, 2 time zones from home. Even the unit I was assigned to was at the far end of the B concourse. I was a long way from home & we were a long ways from every one else.
But that Thanksgiving, we had a potluck. Our unit ground handled KLM, and I think(?) they supplied the turkey. Everyone else brought delicious homemade sides. I brought…Fritos.
I know, I know. To be fair, I was 23 and renting a room in a strange town.
At any rate, we ate in our ready room, and as we did a revelation hit me like lightning; family is what you make it. I didn’t know these people too well, but I spent every day with them.
The truth is, I’ve never felt more welcome anywhere on T-day than I did that day. It rearranged my mind, and I swore that I would do my part to see that anyone else in my shoes would be made to feel the same way.
Aviation can be transient as it is, with people coming & going even during good times. With COVID and the massive turnover we’ve seen, there will be more than one person on the roster spending their first T-day at work.
My goal is to make them feel the way I did all those years ago.
Wow--this is really beautiful, Kevin! Thanks for sharing your story. You get a big pass on bringing fritos. I'm not sure my 23-year-old self would have brought anything!
Family *is* what you make it--I believe that whole-heartedly. And no matter how resilient you are, being alone during the holidays can be tough, or at least weird. It will also open your eyes to what another might be experiencing and prompt future kindnesses.
P.S. If you bring chips, for the love of all things holy please do better than fritos!
P.P.S. Confession: I've never even eaten an *uncomposed* Waldorf salad. It looked good people can just pick around what they don't like. WIN!
I managed to not bring chips...but only because I totally forgot to pick some up the night before. lol.
It was another good day to be at work, with lots of great food and a little bit of World Cup watching. One of my coworkers makes cinnamon rolls that, I think, are about 1000 calories each. They're totally worth it. Day made. :)
More importantly, I hope your dinner/gathering went well, and the food turned out perfect.
P.S. I'm going to try and make the salad this weekend. The dressing looks too good to ignore.
When I was traveling alone in Thailand, I was pretty scared and nervous. I had quit my fancy job and chosen to go across the world to a kickboxing camp to train, lose weight and experience something different. I’ll always remember a select few people who opened themselves up to me immediately, gave me a seat at their table for dinner and made me feel welcome. It was very easy to spot a new person at this ‘camp’ we were all living in. So it was mighty kind of them. They could have just let me sit alone or ignored me. I’ll never forget how important that feeling was, so I tried to pay that same feeling forward.
I changed cities recently and a friend helped me tremendously by letting me stay with him for an extra few days as my furniture took too long to arrive. This thread made me think of that experience with a lot of gratitude. Thank you!
Being in limbo can be so stressful! And what a simple way to help a friend--sharing what he had and giving you the peace of mind to know you wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor of an empty home!
Holly, Too funny about the chicken wing dip. My husband wants to make it and I was so confused. LOL. So glad to know this is a thing. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
I've been seeing a lot of pro-canned cranberry sauce content on the internet lately and I NEED to make my case for homemade cranberry sauce. I grew up eating the canned stuff, but once my family tried making it ourselves, we collectively saw the light. Not only is cranberry sauce probably the easiest side dish to cook (throw everything in a pot and stir! Done!), but it is infinitely more delicious than anything you can get from a can. And that is my official stance on cranberry sauce. Thank you.
NO we always have both and canned stuff goes so much better. It’s what the pilgrims served and much more delicious and also the can shape is super cool as a little fruit tower on the table!!!
I am only good at food because of the Internet! (And now I'm thinking about your standard interview question--what would you do if you woke to find there was no Internet? Excuse me while I go print some of these...)
OMG! Buffalo Chicken Wing dip!!! It will surely kill you, in a good way. This delicious train wreck of an appetizer shows up at every Kadet family occasion (we are from Buffalo) including Thanksgiving. It’s also a great breakfast! Enjoy with totilla chips and a Coca-Cola! I am VERY looking forward to tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving Holly!!,
It is the food that transcends all holidays, cultures, and fat-shaming. I’m now thinking of placing a halo or glowing light strip around the warmer.
I have a soft spot for Buffalo: good people, good food, and great memories! Are you actually from Buffalo itself, or the outskirts, like Cheektowaga or Orchard Park?
Hi Shauna! I grew up in East Aurora and lived for few years post-college in Buffalo itself (Allentown of course). My first journalism job after college was an internship at the Cheektowaga Bee, followed by a paying job with their big rival, the Cheektowaga Times!
I lived in East Aurora and Cheektowaga as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I was there from October 1995 to February 1996. We got snowed out of church on December 10, 1995 because it snowed three feet in 24 hours!
Oh wow yes I remember the Mormons walking around East Aurora growing up. I grew up a Jehovah's Witness myself so we likely share some similar experiences.
And glad you got to enjoy one of our big snows!
In New York, there was always a Kingdom Hall on the same street as our churches. I love western New York, especially the Buffalo area. I went to a Kingdom Hall meeting when I lived in Canandaigua.
Even though I’ve long had enough seniority to hold the day off, I intentionally work every Thanksgiving.
There are some very obvious reasons: light workload, good pay, and being done at 12:30.
I mean, No one I know has family over or Thanksgiving brunch, right?
Every year someone asks me what I’m thinking. And I get to tell this story:
In 1998, I took a temporary transfer to Memphis Tennessee. It was-and remains- the only time I’ve lived in the south. I worked in a hub surrounded by 100s of other coworkers and didn’t know a single one. I had just clocked in a few weeks prior- there hadn’t been time to make acquaintances, let alone friends.
The guy I rented a room from was off to visit his kids. My girlfriend at the time was working in Chicago. I was 1 guy, 2 time zones from home. Even the unit I was assigned to was at the far end of the B concourse. I was a long way from home & we were a long ways from every one else.
But that Thanksgiving, we had a potluck. Our unit ground handled KLM, and I think(?) they supplied the turkey. Everyone else brought delicious homemade sides. I brought…Fritos.
I know, I know. To be fair, I was 23 and renting a room in a strange town.
At any rate, we ate in our ready room, and as we did a revelation hit me like lightning; family is what you make it. I didn’t know these people too well, but I spent every day with them.
The truth is, I’ve never felt more welcome anywhere on T-day than I did that day. It rearranged my mind, and I swore that I would do my part to see that anyone else in my shoes would be made to feel the same way.
Aviation can be transient as it is, with people coming & going even during good times. With COVID and the massive turnover we’ve seen, there will be more than one person on the roster spending their first T-day at work.
My goal is to make them feel the way I did all those years ago.
P.S. I’m probably bringing chips.
P.P.S. That salad looks goooood!
Wow--this is really beautiful, Kevin! Thanks for sharing your story. You get a big pass on bringing fritos. I'm not sure my 23-year-old self would have brought anything!
Family *is* what you make it--I believe that whole-heartedly. And no matter how resilient you are, being alone during the holidays can be tough, or at least weird. It will also open your eyes to what another might be experiencing and prompt future kindnesses.
P.S. If you bring chips, for the love of all things holy please do better than fritos!
P.P.S. Confession: I've never even eaten an *uncomposed* Waldorf salad. It looked good people can just pick around what they don't like. WIN!
I managed to not bring chips...but only because I totally forgot to pick some up the night before. lol.
It was another good day to be at work, with lots of great food and a little bit of World Cup watching. One of my coworkers makes cinnamon rolls that, I think, are about 1000 calories each. They're totally worth it. Day made. :)
More importantly, I hope your dinner/gathering went well, and the food turned out perfect.
P.S. I'm going to try and make the salad this weekend. The dressing looks too good to ignore.
Let me know how you like the salad. I’m going to tweak the dressing a bit next time--less Dijon and vinegar!
And now I want cinnamon rolls.
When I was traveling alone in Thailand, I was pretty scared and nervous. I had quit my fancy job and chosen to go across the world to a kickboxing camp to train, lose weight and experience something different. I’ll always remember a select few people who opened themselves up to me immediately, gave me a seat at their table for dinner and made me feel welcome. It was very easy to spot a new person at this ‘camp’ we were all living in. So it was mighty kind of them. They could have just let me sit alone or ignored me. I’ll never forget how important that feeling was, so I tried to pay that same feeling forward.
You had me at "traveling alone in Thailand"--I can't imagine! Kindness really is universal, though, and I'm glad you experienced it across the globe.
I changed cities recently and a friend helped me tremendously by letting me stay with him for an extra few days as my furniture took too long to arrive. This thread made me think of that experience with a lot of gratitude. Thank you!
Being in limbo can be so stressful! And what a simple way to help a friend--sharing what he had and giving you the peace of mind to know you wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor of an empty home!
Holly, Too funny about the chicken wing dip. My husband wants to make it and I was so confused. LOL. So glad to know this is a thing. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
It’s just so good, and picky eaters will thank you.
such a great point! :) Thank you.
I've been seeing a lot of pro-canned cranberry sauce content on the internet lately and I NEED to make my case for homemade cranberry sauce. I grew up eating the canned stuff, but once my family tried making it ourselves, we collectively saw the light. Not only is cranberry sauce probably the easiest side dish to cook (throw everything in a pot and stir! Done!), but it is infinitely more delicious than anything you can get from a can. And that is my official stance on cranberry sauce. Thank you.
I'm with you 100%! Once you've made (and tasted!) the real deal, there's no going back.
NO we always have both and canned stuff goes so much better. It’s what the pilgrims served and much more delicious and also the can shape is super cool as a little fruit tower on the table!!!
🤣
Your food descriptions look SO GOOD.
I am only good at food because of the Internet! (And now I'm thinking about your standard interview question--what would you do if you woke to find there was no Internet? Excuse me while I go print some of these...)