BY JENNIFER CARDEN

I know, I can’t believe it either but, yes, Thanksgiving is here again! Let the planning begin and this year you can involve the kids. As a child, Thanksgiving always seemed stressful for my parents; running around, cleaning, bringing up chairs from the basement and foreshadowing the negatives of how the day would go. There always seemed to be a layer of tension around having people over to the house. Mom is a fabulous cook and she had nothing to worry about in that arena, but in our house the kids were usually shooed out of the kitchen so the adults could prepare the meal “in peace.”

As an adult, I can respect that, but as a mother, I want my child to be involved, to make the holiday as much hers as ours. I remember not being able to wait until we were dismissed from the dining table so we could go watch TV or play a game. I want my child’s holiday memories to be filled with delicious taste recollections and pride that she was a valued part of our holiday preparations. And what better holiday to start with than Thanksgiving!

The following recipe turns a Thanksgiving staple, pumpkin, into a dish that even the most finicky child will love. Also visit www.ediblemarinandwinecountry.com for easy how-to instructions for a mobile of beautifully colored fall leaves that you and your child can make together and use as a holiday decoration.

Jennifer Carden is a chef and author of The Toddler Café (Chronicle Books, 2008). She is a food stylist, artist and mother living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jennifer appears on View From The Bay, a Northern California TV show. She currently serves as a consultant for What’s Cooking, a SF Bay Area cooking school for children and families. www.thetoddlercafe.blogspot.com

RECIPE

PUMPKIN POCKETS