5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

As fall turns into winter, the produce aisle tends to mimic the slate gray sky - everything's a bit darker, duller and more somber. Knotted parsnips take over where crisp, red radishes once sat; tart cranberries replace sweet strawberries.

Yet, despite the season's best efforts, squash shines even brighter this time of year in a cornucopia of shapes, sizes and colors.

Justin Woodward of Castagna Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, wants to quash your notions of the winter doldrums. Behold the squash.

Five Fall Squashes Worth Trying: Justin Woodward
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Food says so much about where you’ve come from, where you’ve decided to go, and the lessons you’ve learned. It’s geography, politics, tradition, belief and so much more and we invite you to dig in and discover the rich, ever-evolving taste of America. Catch up on past coverage.

In Spanish, it’s known as “Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias” or el “Dia de Las Gracias.” Although it’s not a holiday celebrated in Latin America, Thanksgiving has resonated with Hispanics in the United States because of two vital components in Latino culture: family and food.

Latino households across the country will serve Hispanic dishes alongside Thanksgiving classics like mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, blending their own culture into the “traditional” American holiday.

“Last year, I spent it at my sister’s house and we had ham, pasteles, yam, stuffing and Mexican rice alongside the turkey,” says Baltimore, Maryland resident Elianne Ramos. She works as the Vice-Chair of Marketing and PR for Latinos in Social Media .

Of course, not every Latino household is the same.
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Get the bacon candy recipe at HLN.tv and catch up on all our best Thanksgiving advice, including how to spatchcock a turkey

Or perhaps you'd prefer a bacon pig?

Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Thanksgiving dinner flapped by on its big ol’ turkey wings, but it’s still the holiday season, which means there are plenty of additional dinners coming up. Pairing specific wines with specific dishes is fine - think about it if you want, don’t if you don’t.

But sometimes it’s nice to sit back after dinner and sip something sweet purely on its own. Here are three excellent vinous substitutions for (or additions to) dessert.
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iReporter ace2012 says this "Twurkie" as he calls it, was his "contribution for this year" at Thanksgiving. For those wondering how it's put together, the Charlotte, North Carolina, resident posted information on Pinterest. The idea began when ace2012 started contemplating a future without Twinkies.

"On Nov. 16th, I ran out and bought a box of Twinkies when I heard they might be going out of business," he said.

"I thought they could become a collector's item. But, two days before Thanksgiving, I saw a picture of a cooked turkey and something clicked in my mind. I thought it was a very similar color to a Twinkie. I studied art and sculpture in college and I work in a creative field, so I'm always thinking creative thoughts."

The next question was to figure out how it's done.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

No matter how hard you try, Thanksgiving is not going to be a healthy meal (if you prepare it so it's enjoyable anyway). If you want to mash your potatoes with fake butter, serve your skinless turkey breast without gravy and have a tiny sliver of non-whipped-cream topped pie, that's your prerogative.

The other option is to just go for it: butter in the mashers, gravy on the turkey and a super insane piece of pie on Thanksgiving. And then wake up on Friday and go to the gym. I vote plan B. here are some suggestions on where to find that insane pie.
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Editor's note: Peggy F. Barlett is Goodrich C. White Professor of Anthropology at Emory University and a Public Voices Fellow with the Op-Ed project. She is former president of the Society for Economic Anthropology and Chair of the Emory University Sustainable Food Committee.

Last week, I sat down with colleagues and students to an early Thanksgiving meal prepared by my university's cafeteria. Along with our winter greens, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts with apples and bacon, and pumpkin grits, we ate a roasted "heritage breed turkey."

Accolades ensued: "To me, all turkeys taste the same—except for this one—I can tell the difference," said William Payne who works in the medical school. The local greens from Georgia farms were "really, really tasty," said a first-year student from the Atlanta area and her friend from Tianjin, China.
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We're sharing our time-tested Thanksgiving hosting tips and recipes, as well as plenty from chefs, hospitality experts, celebrities, hosts and home cooks we love. Our goal – sending you into Thanksgiving with a confident smile on your face, and seeing you emerge on the other side with your sanity intact.

It might seem like a world away for people still reeling from recent storms - but hours from now, you're likely going to sitting down to a dinner with loved ones (and a stranger or two), and feeling exceptionally lucky to be doing so.
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[Editor's note: We ran this post a while back, but because so many people are traveling for Thanksgiving, we wanted to share the great advice in the comments below and ask you to shout out more of your hometown favorites.]

One of Eatocracy's most favored Canadians, CNN anchor Ali Velshi dropped by a while back to film an installment of 5@5 Live.

Our managing editor gifted Mr. Velshi with the signature dish of her homeland - a can of Skyline Chili Spaghetti, in the hopes that it would sway him to accept her offer of a position as Eatocracy's official Spokesanchor/Taste Tester (he has since been named our Senior Junk Food Correspondent). He, in return, waxed rhapsodic about poutine - a meld of fries, cheese curd, gravy, and, according to him, a soupcon of rancidity from infrequently changed fryer oil.
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The recipe involves "de-creaming."
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