(Kiki's Corner by Kiki Angelos - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Can you believe Nov. 8 is already here and in less than three weeks Thanksgiving will be here. So much needs to be done for the big celebration. I have to say I purchased my 23-pound turkey yesterday. All our family is so excited to come to our house for dinner and we are very excited to have them here as well. Family is so important to all and it’s a blessing when they come to Papou’s and Yiayia’s house where they are loved and welcomed at all times. Foods and desserts are the center of the attention and so is the traditional homemade pies of all kinds, especially the pumpkin pie.

HIGH PIE SEASON: The time of the year that begins in October and spans through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is a maelstrom of flour, butter, grit, and perseverance. It’s the Super Bowl for bakers across the nation. The madness starts weeks before Thanksgiving and slowly builds into a crescendo of flour dust and recipe math, making a pie from start to finish for some is an all-day affair, but at the end it’s worth it.

Here are five tips from a pie pro that I learned.

1) Practice as much as you can. The more you bake the more understanding you will have about pies.

2) Keep it cold. Temperature matters. Chilled ingredients ensure the alchemical magic of flaky pastry happens inside the oven.

3) Break it up into steps. If you are new to pie try staggering the process. Make the dough one day and the filling the next, it’s less stressful and it feels more like a pleasure.

4) Use all of your senses. Look, listen, smell, taste and touch.

5) Put love into it.

Trust me, it makes any recipe taste better!

If lattice toppings make you nervous, try a crumble topping.

Brown sugar-Pecan crumble

Stir together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup uncooked, old-fashioned regular rolled oats, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Add 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed and begin working it into the mixture with your fingers. Keep working and mixing ingredients until it comes together in clumps and resembles wet sand. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Pile on top of your favorite pie or crisp and bake as directed.

It is time and trying to decide what to prepare for Thanksgiving and if you’re like me all the cookbooks coming out from all the bookcases and when it’s time to decide that it’s hard. When it comes to making the main dishes and sides and desserts it is so tough for me so I make everything plus all the dishes that my children will bring, they get so creative and it’s amazing.

One thing for sure, it is squash season.

1) Green kabocha

2) Blue Hubbard

3) Red kuri

4) Delicata

Look them up and be creative and try some of the recipes that you can enjoy the different types of flavors of squashes. You will be surprised, they are delicious!

Let me back up and tell you that I’m so relieved that I finished all four of my Christmas trees at the Blennerhassett Hotel.

1) Star Wars tree

2) Nautical tree

3) Sleigh ride Christmas tree

4) Santa and Mickey Mouse tree.

It was an extremely busy week for me since I had decorations in four different storage buildings, but I manage. Now I have another big job to decorate my house. It is for sure “The most wonderful time of the year.” It’s not completely here, but it is around the corner, and I want to be more organized than I was last year. We will see , and time will tell.

Till next week.

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Roast Salmon Provencal

4 salmon fillets or steaks, half inch thick (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)

3 cups refrigerated unpeeled potato wedges (from1 lb 4-oz bag)

1 1/2 cups small whole fresh mushrooms

1/2 medium red bell pepper cut into half-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/2 cup large pitted kalamata or ripe olives

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 15×10-inch pan with sides with cooking spray. Place salmon, potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini in pan. Brush with half of the dressing. Sprinkle with basil, bake 20 minutes. Add olives to pan and stir vegetables lightly. Drizzle remaining dressing over salmon and vegetables. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork and potatoes are tender.

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Layered Italian meatloaf

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce with basil, garlic and oregano

1 egg

3/4 cup progressive Italian style breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (4 oz)

1 box (9oz) Green Giant frozen spinach thawed, well drained

Heat oven at 350 degrees F. Spray 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening. In a large bowl mix ground beef, ½ cup of tomato sauce, the egg, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and pepper, pat half of meat mixture in pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over meat mixture. Spread spinach over cheese, sprinkle with remaining half a cup of cheese. Pat remaining meat mixture on top of the cheese. Insert oven-proof meat thermometer so tip is in center of loaf. Bake uncovered one hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked in center and thermometer reads 160 F. Run knife around edges of pan. Place serving platter upside down over pan platter and pan over. Remove pan. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining tomato sauce, loosely covered on high 30 to 60 seconds or until hot, pour over top of meatloaf.

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Apple Squash

1 small butternut or buttercup squash (about 1 lb)

1/2 Cup apple cider or water

2 small apples peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

With vegetable peeler, peel squash. Remove seeds, cut squash into 1/2 inch cubes. In 1 1/2 quart microwaveable casserole place squash cider. Cover, microwave on high 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking until squash is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover, microwave on high for 3 minutes longer stirring once halfway through, cooking until squash and apples are very tender. Serve immediately. If desired, mash before serving.