Happy Thanksgiving

Like many of you, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Everyone always gets along, which wasn't necessarily true with other longer holidays when I was growing up. There's always plenty of fabulous food, great friends, spirited conversation and no pressure to buy gifts.

As a former newspaper food editor, Thanksgiving always presented a challenge. It's the one day of the year when people who never cook face their fears and go into the kitchen. They would call with questions about every little thing. Some people called all day long. But the calls I hated to answer came on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Here's a typical exchange:

"I forgot to put the leftover turkey away. Can I still serve it?"

"How long was it out of refrigeration?" The answer was usually the same.

"Well...all night," generally came the sheepish reply.

"No. It's dangerous to serve perishable food that has been out of refrigeration for more than four hours."

"Well, then can I serve it to my dog?"

Each year food editors dig deep to come up with interesting new recipe and menu ideas. The problem is that no one really wants to make anything different. Thanksgiving is a traditional holiday. My favorite cover story was the time I interviewed a wide range of people, mostly chefs and sports celebrities, and pretended I was inviting them to a pot luck. "What is the must serve Thanksgiving recipe for your family?" The answers were deliciously different. Fanny Farmer Cookbook author Marion Cunningham enthusiastically said, "Watermelon pickles!" Al Attles, former coach of the Golden State Warriors, replied, "Macaroni and Cheese and I always make it myself!"

For our family, the recipe is Carrot Ring. I don't remember ever sitting down to a Thanksgiving dinner without enjoying Carrot Ring, a cross between a carrot pudding and a not-too-sweet carrot cake. This year I'm going to bake two of them.

What is the essential dish for your holiday table? 

Best wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy holiday season.

~ Paula