Mollie Mines

I absolutely love to cook but I never seem to have the time and when I do I typically don't because I don't like to clean up after I'm done. So, I'm home for Thanksgiving and decided that since I have the time and enough family members and dogs to clean up after me I'd take on the side dishes. So, here are my three side dish recipes that are pretty easy and amazingly good: Recipe #1: Savory Sage Sausage Stuffing  Ingredients: - 1 package Bob Evans Savory Sage Sausage - 1/2 large onion, chopped - 1 bag Pepperidge Farm cubed herb season stuffing - 1 small box of Craisins  - 1 or 2 apples, chopped - 2 cups celery, chopped - 8 oz. mushrooms, chopped - 1 stick butter, melted - 1 can chicken broth - sage seasoning, to taste - salt and pepper, to taste  Directions: 1. Brown the meat in a sauté pan until thoroughly cooked. Drain and set aside. 2. Sauté the chopped onion until softened. 3. In a large bowl place meat and onions, bread cubes, Craisins, chopped apple and celery

Historically, the phrase "It takes a village" has been said to indicate that a child or person is perceived to be difficult and that it takes multiple people to raise them or deal with them. Last weekend, while attending Nashville Ballet's Carmina Barana with my mom at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, I had a moment of clarity in which I realized that being raised and supported by a "village" is not a negative thing at all but in fact the best way for anyone to grow up and have the best chances of success. My mother is the Education and Operations Director of Dance St. Louis, a non-profit arts organization in St. Louis, Missouri that brings in dance companies from around the world to perform and teach in the inner city schools and give the performing arts back to the community. As part of her job, my mom oversees a program for talented high school dance students in low income areas that helps them with access and funds for dance classes and helps them through