You’re in for a treat this morning. We’re going to use the holiday to take a break from politics, Iraq, city growth strategy and all that boring stuff.

Instead let’s talk food.

I’m going to let you in on an old family stuffing recipe that dates back to the turn of the century, the 21st century. It’s simple and has a

different, if not better, taste than anything I’ve had before, plus its healthy.

Eight slices of 100 percent whole wheat bread up into cubes.

1/2 cup of cooked wild rice (this is the black stuff. It’s really a grass, not a rice

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tart green apple peeled and diced

1 medium onion diced

3 celery stalks, diced

12 ounces of apple juice.

3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oil in a pan and sautee onion and celery until onion is translucent

Mix bread, rice, apple and cranberries in a mixing bowl

Add onion and celery mixture

Spread mixture evenly in oiled 13×9 baking dish

Pour 1 cup of apple juice over entire pan

Cover with foil and bake in 400-degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour.

You will need to check periodically to see that the stuffing is not too dry. Add more apple juice as needed and continue baking.

It’s tart, but the apple juice makes it sweet, too. It’s a good mix.

Another good one is roasted root vegetables.

Six small turnipis peeled and quarterd

A dozen small red potatoes, quartered or halved depending on the size. You want to be able to fit it in your mouth.

A bag of baby carrots

A pound of parsnips, peeled, and sliced in 1.5-inch lengths

A small basket of whole mushrooms, stems included

1 red onion sliced thick

8 or 10 cloves of garlic, whole, peeled

Enough olive oil to coat

Salt and pepper

Fresh or dried rosemary

Preheat over to 400

Mix everything in a large mixing bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and rosemary

Let stand about an hour.

Spread on large, shallow baking sheet

Bake for 45 mminutes to 1 hour.

This dipping sauce goes with it.

1 cup mayonaisse

1 tablespoon horseradish

2 tables spoons of lemon juice

Mix ingredients together, cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

If anyone else has any good recipes, please share them below.

Happy Thanksgiving