 For many mysterious (and some might claim unjust) reasons, the Thanksgiving Day challenge for an overwhelming number of American families, will not be of starvation or a meager food supply; the challenge will be how to limit the menu while ensuring that each attending guest gets to enjoy his/her favorite dish. For many St. Helenans, wine is an important accent for the dinner table, however, selection can be overwhelming. There are currently 3,754 California wineries, 8,806 wineries in the US and many high-quality imported wines are available from France, Germany, Italy and Australia. There are over 300 varieties of red grapes and 150 varieties of white grapes and it is estimated that there are over 75,000 types of wine being produced worldwide.
The endless possibilities for an hors d’oeuvre array are only limited by the host’s imagination. There are at least 20 varieties of dinner rolls available. The Food Network lists 48 traditional thanksgiving salads. Should the main course be the traditional roast turkey, or beef tri-tip, ham, pork crown-roast or fresh salmon or Dungeness Crab? Better Homes offers a magazine with over 200 traditional holiday recipes. The Cooking Channel offers a list of 70 traditional Thanksgiving dinner side dishes. There are endless vegetable dishes featuring Brussels sprouts, various mushrooms, green and yellow beans, corn, peas, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, celery, chard, carrots, yams, roasted garlic, several squash varieties, broccoli, beets, and sweet potatoes. There are at least 20 traditional Thanksgiving desserts, but chefs are, of course, free to substitute non-traditional, family favorites. With such an overflowing cornucopia, it is little wonder that Brother David Steindl-Rast wrote his wonderful book, Gratefulness The Heart of Prayer.
 HAPPY THANKSGIVING.   Â