Thanksgiving's a wonderful holiday with way too much food ... and pie!

Thanksgiving is a great concept: taking a day to be grateful for what we have. 

I'm not at all pleased with the addition of shopping to the mix. It really doesn't seem to go with the concept of the day. 

Black Friday sales before Black Friday, which is bad enough, as I am not fond of large hordes out shopping. It's a good way to get injured. Plus, I wouldn't get up that early unless someone was paying me. As someone once said, "Not a morning person doesn't even begin to cover it." 

But back to the bird and all the fixings; since this is a food blog, you knew food had to come in somewhere! 

I was thinking of pie. Pumpkin and pecan, specifically. One of my friends was making a pecan pie cheesecake and I told her to add chocolate, because it reminded me of a marvelous pie I had in Texas once at a fundraising dinner. I found a recipe that sounds similar here if you want to give it a try. 

If I make it, I'll post a pic. I may not, because I'd need to do some shopping the day before Thanksgiving (shuddering at the thought). But perhaps you're more daring. 

Product Review: In Praise of LÄRABAR, Post Cocoa Mole

I was sunk when my favorite LÄRABAR disappeared. I even went so far as to look up how to make my own Cocoa Mole bars, but so far I haven't done so. However, if you want to give it a shot, try these blog links: 

• Three More Big Bites 
• Frugal By Choice, Cheap by Necessity 
• Penniless Parenting 
•  52 Kitchen Adventures

Still, as time went on, I found other favorites, Banana Bread and Pecan Pie among them. (Both taste quite a bit like their sugar-laden counterparts.)

Whatever flavor you choose, I have learned it's best to only eat half a bar at once, unless you're using it as a meal replacement. (They're quite dense.)

One thing you can do is make your LÄRABARS into bite-sized treats. Roll them into tiny spheres and serve as a dainty appetizer to accompany savory cheese and crackers or various types of cheese cubes along with a veggie tray.

I think LÄRABARS are one of the best "healthy" desserts around, other than fresh fruit. Why? Because most of them are made solely of fruit, seasonings and nuts. If you hide the wrappers, your guests may mistake them for a fancy sweet truffle.

I usually buy them at Kroger, though you can buy them in bulk at Amazon as well.