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Growing up, we didn't do m&c, but I've certainly heard about it since, and many Italian and Greek families have baked cheesy things on the table as well.

Well, I'll say it:

I hate Thanksgiving.

It's my least favorite holiday.

Growing up, I liked the parade on TV, the day off from school, making crafts, and nibbling a sweet decadent breakfast with my mom. But I never liked the lumpy beige food, even the smell of the turkey. The most anal relatives hosted Thanksgiving, so it was a boring affair, full of constraint and making nice with cousins I didn't speak to--going out to eat was lovely, too, but the food was never as nice as on non-Thanksgiving days.

After my parent's divorce, my mom and I sometimes went to the movies or a diner, but often my grandmother would be sick, and then I was away at college...

I've had some dreadful Thanksgivings. Eating Souffer's French Bread pizza while writing my thesis for grad school. Being an undergrad, running in Connecticut on T-Day, and happening upon a lovely, stereotypical LL Bean family running with their dogs before their big turkey feast when I was alone. Fighting with my mother, refusing to come home from college, going to a friend's home in her UNHEATED New England house and then having her fight with her parents and scream at me for not eating enough for the whole weekend.

My mother and I were close during my late 20s but we never really got the 'hang' of Thanksgiving as two women living alone.

My mother has passed, and now I spend it at my father's and stepmothers. They spend most of the day inhaling meat, watching TV, and complaining about how no one speaks Greek in America.

I love Christmas--the tinsel and the lights, the joyous pastels of Easter, even the heady summer excitement of the 4th of July. I give out the best candy on Halloween. I always take my father out to eat and give him a gift on Father's Day.

But Thanksgiving can stuff it.

Not eating meat! (And very little dairy, if I can get away with it).

(And biking to my destination).

I like Morningstar products, and although their buffalo chicken wings were too spicy for me, I'd suggest giving them a try.

I'm having trouble reading this post. I can't take my eyes off the cookie.

You don't need a turkey! Make something that you like! And I personally dislike lemon desserts, but many people love them!

Everything is great, but you need appetizers and some good bread. Corn bread would be PERFECT with the chicken and beans. Biscuits or dinner rolls if you want more food. I would go with another vegetable, too, more of a fall-type veggie.

And lots of nibbles, like spreads and extra bread, nuts, dried fruits, cheese if you like that, and so forth, to keep everyone occupied while you finish cooking.

I love the retro picture, but hate Dexter. Can't wait until he grows up and starts eating peanut butter by the spoonful and drinking milk out of the carton when he turns 16.

However, watching Julia Child as a kid was FUN. That is not 'new'--JC and the Swedish chef=universal childhood delight without pretence.

I like maple and pumpkin together, or pumpkin and peanut butter. No matter how light, I think the three together would be too much. A pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting with the maple would be nice, or a peanut pumpkin combo, just topped with a sprinkle of peanuts. But I would go either/or.

The roll idea is great--like a fall version of the traditional Christmas 'Yule Log.' Serving it should be fun--depending on the flavors, lots of artful use of the filling or nuts on the top will be beautiful. I see some little foil gold leaves and maple even a tasteful edible turkey 'topper' (like a candy mold in an appropriate flavor).

I live in NJ and have never heard tuxedo cake called a Polish cheesecake--I have heard cheesecakes made with sour cream called various Eastern European ethnic terms though.

I've always found cheesecake after a big meal to be too heavy (but then I'm not a fan). What about one of 'old time' cakes like Opera cake, German Chocolate cake, Black Forest cake or something like that.

I'm 100% liberal food-wise and political-wise according to the study. And it doesn't surprise me at all, given that questioning conventional wisdom about the way one eats and politics seems to go hand-in-hand.

Just to throw this into the mix: for people who don't eat turkey but like stuffing, it is nice to have the stuffing as 'dressing.'

People who do eat the turkey can always take dressing, put their cut turkey slices on top of the mix, and then let the juices seep down and pour gravy on it, if desired. Those who do not eat turkey can take the stuffing and mix it with their veggies for juice. Then, everyone is happy. And if your turkey is so dry no juice dribbles into the stuffing, then you understand why I don't like turkey :)

Oh my friggin gawd...this is just cruel that is place is half-way across the country.

I love slightly underdone pancakes. And that slightly mushy mouthful of melty butter...sigh....

I've never had the Levain but many bloggers I respect have deemed them unmissable--I have one really neurotic question for the SE staff before I order one though--about how many 'single servings' are in one cookie (portion control of deliciousness being something officially endorsed by SE, right ;)