and so enjoy the crisp clean air and gorgeous sunsets ot the beginning of the holiday season! The photo above is from the local News Leader and taken within the Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri, the Queen City of the Ozarks.

Poor economy or no, all the stores are beginning to buzz with more activity and of course, stocking shelves with every kind of Thanksgiving and Christmas selections they can in anticipation of what's known to be the highest dollar shopping day of the year....the day after Thanksgiving.

Around the home place, we're already planning what we'll fix and where we'll all meet for Thanksgiving day dinner. Can almost smell all the goodies just thinking aobut it!

Our traditional dinner starts of course with some favorite appeitzers set out in easy to reach places throughout the house.. Various cheese bites, olives, pickles arranged on platters, along flavored crispy crackers and some dips and spreads.

One of the stars of the show is always, without fail, our creamy spinach dip baked in a handcrafted bread bowl!

Prepare ahead and mix together:

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed, and thoroughly let dry on paper towel

1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives, drained well

1/3 cup chopped green onions

Reserve a couple tablespoons of this mix to garnish the top of the dip just before serving.

Blend together:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup real mayonnaise

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (Reggiano is our favorite!)

Then add and stir til well blended:

1 packet dry vegetable soup mix (we love Knorr's)

The bacon, spinach, olive, onion and tomato mix

Gently stir in:

1 (4 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Salt & Lemon Pepper to taste

Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge til just before serving time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 pkg refrigerated ready to bake breadsticks and 1 round loaf crusty bread

Make a well in the loaf of bread by cutting off the top, and pulling out the bread inside, in chunks, leaving about an 1 1/2 inch shell. This will be your serving bowl.

We use a homemade loaf usually, baked the evening before, but have also used bakery made pumpernickel, french, italian, or even wheat.

Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the bread. Place on a baking tray.

Cut the breadstick dough into 3 inch fingers, and place them on the baking sheet also, along with the chunks of bread removed from the inside of the loaf.

Bake for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the breadsticks are golden and the loaf is heated through. To serve, place the loaf of bread with the dip onto the center of a serving tray, and arrange the breadsticks around it. After all the breadsticks are gone, simply eat the bread bowl.

No mess!

During holiday get togethers we also add carrot and celery sticks, some broccoli florets and/or other raw, crisp and cold veggies to our serving tray for those who love to dip veggies.

Enjoy,

DJ