The holy grail of foodie holidays is coming up! Some of us wait for it all year long. It’s time to start planning for Thanksgiving!

I can hardly contain myself.

I mean, the entrees, the side dishes – the desserts! Turkey and dressing and gravy and rolls, oh my!

Not to mention the company, the feeding frenzy, the meals before and after the main meal and all the preparation that needs to go into this holiday.

It’s no wonder some people find this the most stressful time of year. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You know what takes away stress? Proper planning and foresight. So let’s do that!

Some of the best Thanksgiving tips I’ve been given are over-prepare so that no one is underwhelmed and always have food you can quickly prepare on hand.

Family and friends tend to hang around a lot at Thanksgiving time. Football games are on, people are off work and school and it’s a time to reconnect. And that’s fantastic. We all need that. But the more time they spend at your house, the more meals you’re responsible for! So be a great host and plan ahead.

I LOVE to have steaks at the ready. It’s always a beautiful meal that everyone can appreciate. Just season, grill and serve! Easy!

And if YOU happen to be the guest at Aunt Edna’s house for the week? Bring some steaks along with you. That way, you KNOW your family will be fed well and you will go down in history as the best houseguest ever. That’s just good Thanksgiving etiquette. Help a host out!

Don’t wait for Auntie to ask you to bring something specific – just do it! And make sure to bring extras because there are always people you didn’t plan for there. Always.

I’m sure you have some great Thanksgiving tips you’ve learned over the years to share – what are they?

Question:  What kinds of steak are appropriate for Halloween?

Answer:  Whatever steak you choose!

It’s always fun to really get into the holiday and create a memorable meal with steaks that reflect the Halloween spirit. You know, scary – but not TOO scary.

If you customize a recipe just right you can achieve something spooky and tasty all at the same time! And you can truly take any of your favorite steak recipes and make them creepy. Just dig deep and use your imagination!

For instance, you can try this recipe for Flat Iron Steaks with KC Barbeque Glaze. The glaze can be turned into fake blood and you can really have a good time playing that up. Just remember to have some on hand WITHOUT the fake blood for those who are a little squeamish. (Okay, me. I’m a little squeamish. But I can handle it. I think.)

This is one holiday where you can really have fun with skewers. Preferably wooden. Those are more Halloweeny. Grill up some tenderloin tips, season them up well and run a wooden skewer through the middle of each one, then hang the skewer with the beef tip on it over the top of a drinking glass. It looks pretty creepy but it’s oh-so-delicious!

Or, simply stab a skewer right into the middle of your T-bone and serve it up that way on a plate. It gives it a vampire-being-stabbed-through-the-heart vibe. Again, scary, but so, so tasty.

And, this might be the time to introduce Steak Tartare to the neighborhood. Raw beef can definitely be used in a creep-inducing way. Just remember in the back of your mind that it’s really a delicacy and it’s all going to be okay. That’s what I tell myself.

Your Halloween recipes can include dripping “blood” (ketchup) or some oozing pesto sauce. That one gets me every time. It looks like some kind of bodily fluid leaking, but it’s really delicious.

Tell me, do you have any famous Halloween recipes? Share them here!

The scariest of holidays is coming up! I love to see the kids in their costumes and all the crazy neighborhood decorations. It’s so festive.

Some kids I know will be dressing up as emojis this Saturday. Is that a sign of the times or what? I mean, what happened to plastic masks of princesses and football players with eye, nose and mouth cutouts? Wow.

I always pulled out an old dance costume and put it on and I was set. I don’t know if that flies anymore. Things were so much simpler then.

My kids have reached the age where they no longer dress up. It’s all about the party now. Halloween decorations and food and friends. Just another excuse to get together!

So, will you be hosting any dressed up emojis or smartphones at your house for a Halloween party? Walking around the neighborhood, trolling for candy is a tiring business. You’ve got to feed these people – before and after the trick or treating.

It’s a party, right? So, for me, there will always be steaks! Believe me, parents will be hungry, too, and a great steak will make all the lugging around of candy bags worth it. A reward of sorts.

You can even get creative and trim your steaks into little ghost- or pumpkin-shaped medallions for the kids. They love that. And it’s so fun to really get into the spirit of it! All cuts of steak will do. A filet mignon will work as well as a ribeye or Kansas City strip steak. You can even stick little toothpicks with eyeballs on them into the steaks. Use your imagination to make it fun!

After all, Halloween is supposed to be fun – you might as well eat well in the process!

What will you be serving this Halloween?