Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal.

Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience.

Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special times. When we again hear similar sounds, perceive similar smells, etc., it brings back a rush of emotion that makes us feel connected to that past and to hopefully many cherished memories that we can enjoy re-experiencing in the present.

Adults often want to recreate and evoke those sensory memories for themselves, while at the same time helping younger members to create similar sorts of hopefully happy memories for children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, etc.

For many families, Thanksgiving conjures up memories of home and home is a safe haven most of us yearn for at holiday time.

To help insure those memories are as happy as they can be this year, it is important to take into account any particular dietary needs of family and/or other guests.

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Remember that March is National Nutrition Month (NNM) and eating more vegetables, whole grains, and healthier fat choices is part of how to best celebrate it.

Today’s blog will focus on a vegetarian dish that many people might enjoy having.

It contains tips on developing flavor in 10 Minutes-or-Less using a fun barley recipe that comes from an Executive Chef who originally hails from Switzerland, but has lived and worked in many parts of the globe in his career to date.

This Executive Chef’s blog site, as he puts it, is “All about gourmet food, country food, recipes and travel. Having fun cooking with some facts about products and techniques.” He really is a Country Gourmet Traveler!

NNM “Widget” (aka image code) courtesy of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Barley image courtesy of Skorpio on Wikia.

See chef’s blog site for actual recipe images. Food Styling and photography ©2012 by Walter Butti, used with his permission.

Read on for the details of a recipe he kindly developed after receiving our request for his insight, as it includes a number of great tips for developing flavor in a short amount of time.

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Dining at sea means both the expected and the unexpected are now being offered for an additional cover charge beyond the cruise fare, allowing cruise ship guests more options than they ever previously had.

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There are many ways to Roast one or two (~ 7 lbs each) Roasting Chicken(s) or a similar size Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving (these are alternatives to cooking a whole turkey, or doing Cornish hens, etc., of course). The choice is yours as to what you choose to roast, and several possible approaches to roasting any poultry, including using a metal rack inside any poultry cavity exist–see which approach you prefer!

Luckily, excellent information exists on the www from many reliable sources to guide you through safe preparation of any frozen and then thawed, or fresh poultry product so that you can have an entree you are proud of to serve this Thanksgiving.

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Our neighbors to the North in Canada already had their Thanksgiving celebration around the time of Columbus Day activities here in the USA.

In the states, we’re now looking forward to celebrating our Thanksgiving time with family and friends this November. I don’t think it’s too soon to start planning ahead for that celebration.

Read on for some suggestions if you want to get a head start on your planning for this year.

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