Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi neighbors. Time is getting short to prepare for Thanksgiving. Not to even mention Christmas shopping.

Do you have favorite recipes for special occasions? Most of us do -- if not recipes to cook, then favorite dishes to eat. The traditional Thanksgiving with sweet potatoes cooked with brown sugar, butter and marshmallows seems to be a family favorite.

Cranberry sauce or cooked cranberries are usually on the menu. Let's not forget stuffing. For a single dish, there are more variations on making stuffing than about any other food in history! Some people like to add nuts, raisins, oysters, onions, celery, or various other ingredients to the simple breadcrumbs and broth that was the original dressing.

There is always pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie, apple, cherry or peach pie, blackberry cobblers, upside down pineapple cake, chocolate cake, pumpkin cake, and ice cream of all flavors.

Jell-O is always a popular item at Thanksgiving meals. Jell-O mixed with whipped topping, fruit or carbonated water.

Let' remember the homemade breads, rolls and muffins! I usually make a couple of loaves of sourdough bread.

Noodles are a big favorite at my house. My granddaughter has perfected her noodle making over the past couple of years. I think this year I will teach her the fine art of making from-the-store frozen noodles.

Gravy is a usual accompaniment to all Thanksgiving feasts. Brown gravy, white gravy, even chocolate gravy for the kids are common fare. Many people use cooked pieces of the turkey "giblets" including the turkey neck in making the gravy.

What's the point of having gravy if there are no potatoes? People have potato casserole, fried potatoes, baked potatoes and even instant potatoes for Thanksgiving. I prefer to boil actual potatoes and then mash them with a hand masher. (Got to give the guys something to do right?)

But the star of most Thanksgiving meals is the turkey! For the past few years a young couple who are friends to all in the family, join us for the meal and bring a freshly smoked turkey. I think it tastes as good or better than any other turkey cooked any other way.

Another tradition is the after meal fun and games. The guys might watch television, the children (at my house they are all teens now) play electric guitar or video games, or join the family in various card games. Whether we start with Skip-Bo or Phase 10, we always end the day with Rummy.

Playing Rummy with my family can be a hilarious experience. Everyone goes into the game confident that they know all the rules, and during the game all the rules are challenged and debated until a new rule is agreed on. I have begun to realize that this annual re-writing of the rules is the main reason we all enjoy the game so much.

Card games can run pretty late and are always accompanied by desserts and coffee. Pictures are taken (we have all agreed that no one can take pictures while we have our mouths full, are taking a huge bite of anything and/or when we have food on our faces) so we take pictures while playing cards, staged family shots, pictures of anyone doing something goofy, or of any poor soul who falls asleep from too much turkey.

Our family Thanksgiving this year will actually be on Saturday following Black Friday, so shopping might be involved late Friday evening. Not for me, I've had one Black Friday shopping and swore never again!

Since my daughter and her family live in Iowa, we often exchange Christmas gifts the day after the big meal. It's nice that we do so we can all be home for Christmas on that kind-of Christmas day.

However you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I hope your day is filled with family, fun and food! Don't forget to open your home to people you know who have no family to celebrate with. Invite friends to feast with you or take desserts to local nursing home residents and spend some time with them. Don't forget to call family who live too far away to visit. I like to call while everyone is still here and let them share in the general conversation and mayhem.

Until the next time friends, remember, Thanksgiving is for giving thanks. Don't forget to show your gratitude with actions as well as thoughts. Take a bag of dog/cat food to the local shelter; they will be thankful as well!