Enjoy a happy, healthful Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving illustration by Andy Marlette of Gannett News Service offers a different perspective on the holiday feast. Three fowl — a turkey (gobble!), a duck (quack!) and a chicken (cluck!) look with alarm at a "Turducken" cookbook as they prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday feast.

It's difficult for some to imagine a Thanksgiving meal without a bird as the centerpiece, but there are so many recipes available these days there is no need to worry.
After all, it's not all about the food, but the camaraderie that goes with it.

I won't be serving Turducken, but it is an option for those who want to simplify a vegetarian addition to the meal. In my home, we will be busy preparing an Italian feast with all the trimmings.

If you do have vegetarians coming to your table and could use a little help preparing a meatless component to your meal, check out local cookbook author Nava Atlas' Web site, where she offers plenty of inspiration. She also offers a very cool vegan Thanksgiving e-book with a plethora of recipes that are perfect for the season. It features a collection of recipes from her many books, both vegetarian and vegan, as well as an array of recipes from other authors and bloggers. For $8.95, you can order the book and have it delivered to your inbox within 24 hours. And in the spirit of giving, profits from this project benefit charitable organizations concerned with hunger, microfinancing for women in developing countries and the alleviation of human trafficking. Culinary inspiration for a noble cause.

Whatever your dining preferences, I want to wish all of my readers a happy and healthful Thanksgiving this week, even those who live abroad and don't recognize this American of holidays. But, hey, it is a feast day after all.

This has to be my favorite holiday, not only for the food and gathering of family and friends it brings, but for the deeper meaning of being "thankful" for the simple things in life.

It's not about the material things you have or want, but the feeling of contentment that comes with family at your side, a purring cat in your lap, enough food to eat, a warm home, a purpose in life, meaningful work and probably, most important of all, good health.

I wish all of you that and more.

Enjoy the bounty of the holiday.

Happy cooking!