When you get down into the details of Thanksgiving planning, it’s nice to have a style or theme to create your Thanksgiving menu and your table decorations around.

It always makes for an even more special holiday when every detail has been well thought out. It shows so much love and care has gone into the planning of this very special meal.

There are so many themes to choose from and the preparation can get overwhelming. So when choosing, just go with your own personal style. What speaks to you?

For instance, you can choose a Southern style with a country feel – natural wood table settings and simple, down-home décor. You won’t find your great grandmother’s fancy china and glassware on this table. Plain white plates or a single color is all you need. The food will do most of the talking.

Thanksgiving recipes for a Southern theme might include cornbread pudding, country gravy, deep-fried turkey and Mom’s apple cobbler. Like a holiday on the farm. Delicious!

Then there’s the traditional style. Now, that’s where the fancy china and glassware can make its appearance. A classic turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes with brown gravy are on the menu here.

Or, you can go minimalist. Think a modern aesthetic. Sleek lines and simplicity. Elegant. The food can stay in the classic zone, but serve it up in simple dishes. No doilies here. Those belong on a traditional table.

Have some fun playing around with different styles. This is YOUR holiday so make it memorable and pleasing to the eye as well as the palate! And there are so many styles to choose from, there’s bound to be one that excites you.

Tell me, do you like to stick to traditions on Thanksgiving or are you open to mixing up your style with something different this year?

Question:  What kinds of steak are appropriate for Halloween?

Answer:  Whatever steak you choose!

It’s always fun to really get into the holiday and create a memorable meal with steaks that reflect the Halloween spirit. You know, scary – but not TOO scary.

If you customize a recipe just right you can achieve something spooky and tasty all at the same time! And you can truly take any of your favorite steak recipes and make them creepy. Just dig deep and use your imagination!

For instance, you can try this recipe for Flat Iron Steaks with KC Barbeque Glaze. The glaze can be turned into fake blood and you can really have a good time playing that up. Just remember to have some on hand WITHOUT the fake blood for those who are a little squeamish. (Okay, me. I’m a little squeamish. But I can handle it. I think.)

This is one holiday where you can really have fun with skewers. Preferably wooden. Those are more Halloweeny. Grill up some tenderloin tips, season them up well and run a wooden skewer through the middle of each one, then hang the skewer with the beef tip on it over the top of a drinking glass. It looks pretty creepy but it’s oh-so-delicious!

Or, simply stab a skewer right into the middle of your T-bone and serve it up that way on a plate. It gives it a vampire-being-stabbed-through-the-heart vibe. Again, scary, but so, so tasty.

And, this might be the time to introduce Steak Tartare to the neighborhood. Raw beef can definitely be used in a creep-inducing way. Just remember in the back of your mind that it’s really a delicacy and it’s all going to be okay. That’s what I tell myself.

Your Halloween recipes can include dripping “blood” (ketchup) or some oozing pesto sauce. That one gets me every time. It looks like some kind of bodily fluid leaking, but it’s really delicious.

Tell me, do you have any famous Halloween recipes? Share them here!

If you follow the chef tips for cooking and select a high-quality Kansas City Strip Steak, you’re now ready for an amazing recipe to top it off.

As far as steak recipes go, the one that’s the best is the one YOU like.

Recipes for steaks are designed for the cut. So make sure you find a recipe created to highlight the qualities of the Kansas City Strip if that’s what you’re cooking.

For instance, this recipe for Black Pepper Coffee Strip is tailor made for the KC Strip. And you’ll notice that the recipe calls for grilling your steaks. There’s an alternate cooking method, but grilling these steaks is always best.

Maybe you don’t have access to a grill, then go ahead and use the alternate method. But always grill if you can.

Not a coffee fan? Try these Wild Strips. They’re a heavenly blend of wild mushrooms, onions, Dijon mustard and other seasonings.

Nothing too overpowering. Just enough flavor to bring out the taste of the KC Strips.

And notice the recipe calls for grilling. Notice a pattern here?

Check out a whole array of Kansas City Strip Steak recipes  and try some out. You’ll have a blast. How could you not? You’ll be eating KC Strips!