OK, so you see the guy, dead center, wearing the blue shirt? I’m to the right. And to the left is Perfect Linda, my brother-in-law’s wife.

Perfect Linda is always perfectly slender, perfectly dressed, perfectly accessorized, perfectly manicured and pedicured and just freaking perfectly perfect all the way around.

Every Easter, she cooks a massive dinner and smiles modestly when people rave about her prowess in the kitchen.

And before my mother-in-law passed away, Linda always arrived for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with a half-dozen perfectly lovely side items and perfectly decadent desserts. If, that is, she wasn’t hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas at her own house. In that case, there would also be a perfectly roasted turkey and/or a perfectly succulent ham.

This year will mark our first Thanksgiving without Hubs’ mom. Which means Perfect Linda and I will be the primary dinner contributors.

Which means I stand to lose face.

For the past five years, I have attended family dinners and huddled in the mighty shadow of Perfect Linda. Oh sure, I get compliments for my dishes. But not raves.

This year, I am declaring war. I will earn raves. I WILL!! Perfect Linda’s kitchen reign must end. No, not “reign.”

TYRANNY! That’s what this is. She must be defeated. And I want to be the one to tarnish that crown. Or at least ding it up a little.

But I need your help. (Just realized I’m now quoting Dora. Sorry.) I need easy recipes that taste deceptively complicated. I need dishes that are simple to make yet are dazzling to the eye.

help {whimper}