A little Tuscan in your Thanksgiving Feast!

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is just another day in Tuscany. Being on a Thursday, we go about our daily business as if it's just another day. It's such a nice holiday that I often wish the Italians would adopt it instead of Halloween, which has been increasingly celebrated, much to my dismay, over the last five years. We could all use a little more gratitude and less horror in our lives!

 I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my friends Randall and Francesca Stratton at Spannocchia on Saturday the 24th, the weekend day that most expats choose to celebrate this holiday. It's my favorite fall holiday, being food-centered with sides of roaring fires and crisp autumn air.

I'll be helping Francesca in the kitchen to prepare a lunch for 85 or so family and friends of Spannocchia. The holiday lunch includes both whole roasted turkey and baked lasagna. Without that first course of pasta the Italians wouldn't know what to make of this meal.

Why not add a little Tuscan to your feast this year, perhaps chestnut dressing or Tuscan roasted potatoes. The widely used herbs of sage and rosemary go beautifully with turkey so try rubbing your bird with a combination of fresh herbs and Tuscan olive oil. That's what we'll be doing.

Desserts will be decidedly and blessedly American however and I anticipate pumpkin pie made from squash from the estate garden, as well as apple pie from local trees.

As I think of all the things I'm thankful for this year a special thought goes out to my family and all the culinary students who have entered my life in the past 12 months.

God bless you all!