At this year's Thanksgiving dinner, we went to a friend's house and nearly everyone contributed something to the meal. We brought the turkey, stuffing and gravy and someone else made the best sweet potato casserole I have ever had in my life! The guest who made it was more than happy to share how to make it with me, especially when I told her I wanted to write about it in my column.

Another guest brought mini pecan butter tarts, that, again were absolutely the best I have ever tasted.

So here, just in time for the next holiday, I get to pass these great treats along to you, who are among my closest and dearest “foodie” friends.

Other foods we enjoyed were featured in previous articles I have written, like Noonie's Kugel, which again, she made for our pleasure this year. Noonie is Jewish, and I used to think that there were no good things to eat if you were not born Italian.

Well, I still love the foods of my heritage best and they will always be my favorites, but if you keep an open mind, there are so many other wonderful ethnic recipes from around the globe as well as regional foods from this country that will open up new worlds to you. No good Jewish foods? How about corned beef on rye, the Reuben sandwich I wrote about last month, pot roast and of course Kugel.

So, even though Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday, we made it international with Italian, French, German, Spanish and Jewish foods. Of course, the best part of any feast should be the closeness you feel for your family and friends, however, great food sure helps.

So for this season of gladness and giving, let's be especially thankful for the melting pot called America with its rich mix of great people and celebrated foods. Bon appetito, cheers, skool, prosit, l'chiam and salute.

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years