Italian Pumpkin Strata

    Hi all!  Well, the countdown's begun.  Only 5 more days until Thanksgiving!!  How are you doing with all of your preparations?  Here, at my house, things are moving along pretty well......I guess.  I'm finishing up my Thanksgiving dinner menu, so that I can go to the supermarket early Monday morning. The turkey is in the garage refrigerator, thawing.  At least, I hope it's thawing.  That fridge always acts a little strange when the weather gets really cold.  Nothing could be more frustrating than to go to retrieve the main part of the Thanksgiving meal, only to find a solid turkeysicle sitting there!  You can bet I'll be checking that bird daily to make sure that doesn't happen!


    This will most likely be my last post until after Turkey Day, so let me wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!  I know things aren't always easy these days, but I, for one, have so many things to be thankful for....a wonderful husband and six children that I love very much, a warm and comfortable home, a loving, supportive mother (you're never too old to need your mom!), five great brothers and sisters and their families (who I really miss), as well as my husband's family, some good friends (you know who you are), and, well, I could go on for awhile, but I guess you probably stopped by to check out the recipe, so I'll sum up my thoughts by saying.....God has provided for me, been faithful to me, and blessed me above and beyond what I really deserve!  And, I'm so thankful!

     Now, onto the recipe....

Roasted Fennel and Carrots with Pecorino Cheese

    What can you make with a couple of root vegetables, some garlic, fresh thyme, cheese, and olive oil?  A delicious roasted vegetable side dish, that's what!  If I haven't mentioned it before, I love roasted vegetables! Roasting just brings out their natural sweetness and develops such a depth of flavor!  As the days are getting colder, this is a great side dish to go along with a meatloaf or roasted beef or chicken. So, what are you waiting for?  Grab those veggies and get roasting!  

Sweet Pumpkin Fritters

    Well, it seems that fall will soon turn into winter, as evidenced by our first real snowfall of the season.  That's right.  We woke up to a lovely covering of snow this morning......so pretty!  But, snow means cold and cold means we all want hearty, comforting foods.....Things like soups and stews, roasted meats and winter vegetables, like sturdy greens and squash.  And......let's not forget about pumpkin!  You'll find pumpkins around my house, used as part of my fall decorating, and I love to make the usual pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies (remember this recipe?) and pumpkin pie.  But, this recipe was a bit of a revelation!  I've shared a delicious version of apple fritters with you, but hadn't thought of using pumpkin as a main ingredient instead of apples.  Well, now I know....Sweet Pumpkin Fritters.....a great idea!