Rumor has it that snow is scheduled for occasional appearances and is completely true. We got to drive the “new” yellow Mustang in the snow squall and made it home in all the original pieces but it did not make it up the driveway. Snow tires appointment is in place.

I got to thinking that our weather must be lacking something as we rarely, if ever, have we had any Yeti, Bigfoot or Sasquatch sightings in Minnesota. What are we lacking to provide a good home for he/she/it? We seem to have everything available as far as heat, sun, snow, cold, bugs, trees, etc. No one even reported smelling one! Maybe we have too many lakes? Our tourist people really should be looking into this “problem”.

This year is going to be a prime memory year with its wide range of events. With Thanksgiving coming up as the first major family holiday, so many moving parts will have to be changed to stay safe. The path over the river and through the woods will for sure be a less traveled one and many of us will be making our own small family dinner or ordering it for pickup. The no need to get the biggest turkey possible is changing the turkey sales and giving the turkey growers a headache. I would not think it will affect the green bean sales.

A good number of us will be staying in our home bases for this holiday and we still want it to be special as well as having our traditional foods. Some of us will be making the whole meal for the first time! Remember that a lot of it can be made ahead and reheated. After all, that is what most takeout turkey dinners are. I see some are sent home hot but then I wonder just how hot will it be when you get home. Of course it depends on how far away from the source you live and how well they package it. The other thing to do is check as soon as possible for takeout/ pickup ordering as some places are already totally booked.

I am offering an easy recipe for a breakfast treat that will make almost everyone think you are an outstanding baker and have gone the extra mile for Thanksgiving and other occasions. You also may have all the ingredients on hand and don’t need to shop for special items. It is also easy to change the flavors, even on your first try at it!

DANISH COFFEE CAKE: Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or so – 3 coffee cakes, 6 servings each. In a large mixing bowl place 1 cup of regular flour, cut ½ cup of butter into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 2 TBS of water; toss with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Divide into thirds. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 9”x6” rectangle. Place on a greased baking sheet or 2 sheets if you have smaller ones. Set aside. Then in a saucepan, bring ½ cup butter, 1 cup water and ½ teaspoon of salt to a boil. Have 1 cup of regular flour ready and add it all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. REMOVE FROM HEAT; let stand for 5 minutes. Have 3 room temperature eggs ready to beat in, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Spread this mixture over the waiting dough to the edges. Bake in the 400 degree, preheated oven for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on cooling racks. Have the following icing ready to spread: 2 TBS soft butter, 1 & ½ cups of powdered sugar, 1 & ½ teaspoons of almond extract, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water. Divide and spread on the 3 parts. Sprinkle with ½ to 1 cup of chopped walnuts or sliced almonds. I often spread raspberry jam on one part, apricot jam on another and then the icing and nuts on all. It best served warm and is quick enough to make the morning of serving. If any is left it can be frozen but icing may get a little watery. So solve that problem and eat it all! Give it a fancy name of your own!