Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving? I’m planning on volunteering at the TeePee for the 17th consecutive year, but then want to have family at my house later that day to share a meal.

Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday - ohhh, the smell of that turkey and dressing, can hardly wait. Darin and his wife Cindy and family will be coming up from Baraboo, daughter Andrea and family plan to come over and hopefully a few other relatives and friends will join us. We’ll have the traditional turkey dinner complete with my dad’s “dressing”. To ease my workload, I think I’ll delegate the desserts to someone else this year. Although I do have some springform pans that have never been used... Maybe this is the year to try one of those cheesecake recipes.

I recently was given a sample of this Squash Bake and think I’ll have to make it soon.

Squash Bake

2 12-oz. pkgs. frozen squash

4 tbsp. butter or oleo

1 tsp. salt

Dash pepper

Combine in saucepan and heat over low heat. Beat 2 eggs, add squash. Place in greased casserole. Add toppping, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Topping:

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. pecans

2 tbsp. butter

And no more than Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to think about those holiday get-togethers. When I entertain it’s never very formal. I prefer to serve appetizers and finger food and have people mingle rather than sit down to a formal dinner.

These Ham and Cheddar Bites are always a hit:

Ham & Cheddar Bites

2 cups (8 oz.) finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 pkg. (2-1/2 oz. ea.) thinly sliced deli ham, chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup real bacon bits

1-2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tube (12 oz.) large refrigerated flaky biscuits

In a bowl, combine the cheese, ham, mayonnaise, bacon and mustard. Split biscuits into thirds. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of ungreased mini muffin cups. Fill each with about 1 tbsp. of the cheese mixture.

Bake at 450 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm.

Yield: 2-1/2 doz.

Note: Chicken may be substituted for the ham if you like.

And it’s hard to stop nibbling on this warm, onion-flavored bread.

Party Bread

1 lb. unsliced sourdough bread (round)

1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, sliced

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2-3 tsp. poppy seeds

Cut the bread lengthwise and crosswise without cutting through the bottom crust. Insert cheese between cuts. Combine butter, onions, garlic powder and poppy seeds; drizzle over the bread. Wrap in foil; place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Whatever your plans, slow down and enjoy the upcoming holidays. There’s nothing better than getting together with family and friends for good food and memory-making times.