“Souper” side-dish fail

“When my youngest daughter, Katie, decided she wanted to contribute a side dish to our Thanksgiving feast last year, I suggested she start with making green bean casserole—that way, if she needed a little extra help, the recipe would be printed right on the soup can.

“On Thanksgiving morning, Katie huffed her way into the kitchen, arms laden with a giant roasting pan covered in foil. As she heaved it onto the counter and the tinfoil jiggled, I knew something was very wrong.

“‘How’d it go?’ I asked, watching as her eyes welled with tears. ‘See for yourself!’ she cried, uncovering her creation. I could barely contain my shock: There before me was the most monstrous mass of lumpy, gray soup I had ever seen in my life.

“‘Did you follow the recipe I gave you?’ I asked gently, prodding a sad green bean floating in the goop. Katie recited the recipe back to me line by line. ‘Oh no!’ she realized with horror. ‘I put in 10 cans of soup—not two 10 oz. cans!’ Since she’d worked so hard, I assured her we’d just add a few more beans and set it out. ‘It will be fine,’ I assured.

“As is our family tradition, before we start eating, each of us went around the table to say what we were thankful for. When it was my 6-yearold niece’s turn, she looked squarely at Katie’s gray blob and said, ‘I’m thankful I’m allergic to green beans!’ We all laughed, but suffice it to say, Katie’s on dessert duty this year!” —Deb Magness, 54, Tulsa, OK