QUIETLY GIVING THANKS By Christy Rost   Last year my husband, Randy and I hosted two tables of family and friends for a grand Thanksgiving Day celebration, and it was an unforgettable evening. In addition to roast turkey, southern cornbread dressing, glazed ham, and turban squash filled with a sweet and spicy apple compote, I treated our guests to a dessert buffet laden with one mouth-watering confection after another. This year’s Thanksgiving celebration will be entirely different. All of our family members will be out of town for the holiday weekend, and neither of our sons will be able to join us, so Randy and I will have a quiet celebration a deux. Actually, I am looking forward to quietly giving thanks this year. With a cookbook manuscript due in just a few weeks, and an autumn whirlwind of professional commitments just winding down, a cozy, romantic Thanksgiving dinner with my sweetheart sounds most appealing. In fact, with the exception of my homemade pumpkin pie, I won’t even be cooking. Gasp! Did Christy say she ISN’T COOKING? Actually, this year’s Rost Thanksgiving feast will be cooked entirely by my very sweet and capable husband. He formally announced to me this week that he is in total charge of our Thanksgiving dinner, so I will have needed precious time to finish my book. Chef Randy has already done his pre-holiday research, and decided upon a fresh turkey. The remainder of the meal is a complete mystery, because Randy has always loved orchestrating a good surprise. So, I have much to be thankful for this year – a loving family, good health, many special and supportive friends, my first book contract, AND a chef-wannabe husband who will cook our Thanksgiving dinner. It doesn’t get any better than that. Blessings on you and your loved ones. Roasted Pumpkin Pie with Maple Cream 1 medium pie pumpkin ½ cup water Split pie pumpkin in half; scrape out pulp and seeds, reserving seeds to roast. Turn halves face down in a roasting pan, add water, and cover tightly with foil. Roast in a 400-degree oven 40-45 minutes, or until pulp is soft. Cool; then spoon pulp into a food processor. Process just until smooth; set aside. Pastry 1 ¼ cups flour ¼ cup sifted cake flour ¾ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 2 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening 3 tablespoons ice water Pulse flours and salt in a food processor to mix. Slice butter into 16 pieces; add to flour mixture along with shortening. Pulse until butter is pea-size. Add ice water; pulse until pastry forms a ball. Wrap pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. When pastry is cold, roll out on a floured surface and place in a 10-inch pie plate; flute edges. Filling 2 ½ cups pumpkin puree 1 cup sugar 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 3 eggs 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices until smooth. Add eggs and whisk until well mixed. Gradually pour in the evaporated milk, whisking constantly, until filling is thick and smooth. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake pie in a preheated 425-degree oven 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45-50 minutes until filling is set and a sharp knife comes out clean when inserted into center of pie. Cool; then serve with Maple Cream. Maple Cream  ½ pint heavy cream 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon maple syrup Whip cream with an electric mixer until cream begins to thicken; sprinkle with confectioners sugar and maple syrup. Continue whipping cream until soft peaks form. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours. Recipe makes one 10-inch pie. Get more of Christy Rost's recipes in her archives. Click here. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com