This is Tina, a.k.a Cheftini! I am a cooking show host and recipe blogger who loves to cook, I’m thrilled and honored to be contributing some of my favorites here with IntoxiKate. It’s hard to believe we are just days away from our most Thankful Holiday … Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons, but mostly because it is the one special time of year when we all gather together to celebrate all our blessings.

I for one feel blessed to have been handed down so many family recipes and traditions.Growing up in an old fashioned Italian family food was always the center of every holiday. I canstill picture my Mother in our kitchen preparing and planning holiday meals. A tradition that I now carry on with my children.

While we always have the traditional Thanksgiving fare, our holiday dinners usually have a touch of Italian undertones. Sure there’s turkey and stuffing, maybe even some sweet potatoes (roasted with evoo and sea salt of course), but more often than not there’s gonna be antipasto, pasta, oh and about 12 other side dishes too. One of those sides is usually some sort of fried eggplant with cheese… lots and lots of cheese!

One of my favorites to make all year round, but especially for our “Italian Thanksgiving” is Eggplant Rollatini. There’s just something about that sliced breaded eggplant rolled with ricotta cheese and baked in my favorite sauce that just makes our Italian holidays complete.