Best. Holiday. Ever.

Thanksgiving is dedicated to all that I love most: food, family and friends. Naturally, it's my favorite holiday. Since my mom's family is all here in Chicago and there's a large contingent of my dad's family out on the west coast, I alternate spending Thanksgiving here at home with the Clarks and feasting with the foodies out in Palm Springs. Either way, it's always an amazing day.

This year, I spent the holiday in Chicago. Peggy and Bill, my fave Chicago foodies, graciously hosted and everything was fantastic. However, I'd like to highlight my personal favorite Thanksgiving tradition: the cooking of the second turkey.

Ask anyone who's borne the burden of dating any member of the Clark clan and they'll vouch for what an "experience" the Thanksgiving experience is. There are approximately 700 of us (only a slight exaggeration) and it gets really, incredibly loud. But in the midst of all of the insanity, the traditional games of dice, the toasts (you may or may not be welcomed to the family on your very first Thanksgiving appearance, which may or may not creep you out, but if you belong you'll be able to laugh it off), the raucous laughter, the chorus of voices -- each one louder than the next and the gaggle of little kids running around... there is a sit-down meal of epic proportions.

There is dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin muffins, stuffing, gravy, beef tenderloin, a big green salad. And then there are second helpings. Then there's dessert. Pies of all kinds: pumpkin, cherry, lemon meringue, French silk. An amazing array of cookies. It's all very normal.

But then things get real. All the while we've been feasting on rounds 1 and 2, lounging around watching football, drinking cocktails, eating dessert and goofing around with one another, something great has been in the works.

That something is turkey number two. And it's done just as people are feeling ready for some turkey sandwiches. Holidays in the Clark family aren't a sprint; they're a marathon. Knowing that, Peggy and Bill roast a second turkey and prepare a full sandwich bar, complete with a variety of breads, rolls and croissants, an assortment of condiments and most importantly, a giant platter of fresh-from-the-oven white and dark meat.

It is, without a doubt, the best part of the day. I highly recommend this tradition to anyone who loves a good meal. Or three. Or four. But on Thanksgiving, who's counting?

Best Dishes: Schoolyard Tavern Skillet Cookie

One of my all-time favorite ways to end a meal is the skillet cookie. For those of you unfamiliar with this dish, it's a chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast iron skillet and then topped with what's more or less an ice cream sundae while the cookie is still piping hot.

My love affair with the skillet cookie began after dining at Lou Malnati's for my oldest friend's 3rd grade birthday party. (It helped me get over my near-death experience at dinner when I started choking on cheese from the pizza, which then had to be extracted by my dear friend's father -- thanks again, Mr. Brown! I still haven't learned to eat anything slowly.) The original Lou Malnati's was just a hop, skip and a jump from our houses growing up, so we pretty much grew up on the stuff. In addition to their glorious pizza (to be highlighted further in a later entry), we also ate our fair share of skillet cookies from the age of approximately 8 through... well, the present. To this day, when I visit Keelyn's parents' house, it's very likely that we'll be ordering Lou's in or heading over for the real deal at the restaurant itself.

However, since it's not often that I get back to our old Sauganash/Lincolnwood stomping grounds, I was thrilled to discover another delicious skillet cookie option in my own neighborhood. Schoolyard Tavern has all kinds of great food, but the highlight of my meal is always the grand finale: their very own skillet cookie. As it should be, the cookie's served scorching hot in the cast iron skillet in which it was baked and features no less than three scoops of premium vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and lots of whipped cream. It makes me so happy. I will con anyone and everyone into ordering this with me anytime I'm at Schoolyard -- or any of the other Four Corners taverns (Gaslight, Side Bar, Brownstone, etc.). Beware: if we're eating -- or even just drinking -- at one of these establishments, there will be a skillet cookie coming our way. Just saying.

It's not to be missed. The next time you're at any of these establishments, order one up and finish your meal the right way. You won't regret it.

Coming soon: a review of the food I sampled at Lollapalooza Friday through Sunday. Sorry for the lack of posting on Friday -- I was busy trying the Graham-Elliot-Bowles-approved fare at the fest!

Best Dishes: Rigatoni Alla Buttera at Coco Pazzo

Every week, readers of The Chicago Tribune's Play section tell the editors about their favorite dishes in Chicagoland restaurants.

As I was perusing the options this morning, I noticed that it features one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes at one of my very favorite Italian restaurants: the Rigatoni at Coco Pazzo.

I was going to write about Farmers' Markets in Chicago today, but the thought of the Rigatoni alla Buttera stopped me cold. I knew what I had to do: talk about Coco Pazzo.

Coco Pazzo is a River North restaurant that serves Tuscan cuisine -- both contemporary and traditional -- and places a strong emphasis on freshness of ingredients. This focus is evident in their dishes, which take everyday Italian well above and beyond the familiar. Their bread is baked in-house daily; their pastas are all handmade fresh each day. The menu changes frequently in order to enable the chefs to use the freshest ingredients possible.

However, one menu staple is the Rigatoni alla Buttera... And thank God. It is so wonderful. Every time I'm there, I have to order at least an appetizer portion of the Rigatoni. (If you'd like, you can create a main course of 2 or 3 appetizer portions of their pastas. I've been known to do this on at least a few occasions.) But I digress. Back to the Rigatoni.

The fresh Rigatoni pasta (my favorite shape for its propensity to pick up the perfect amount of sauce -- and peas, in this instance) is served in an impeccable tomato cream sauce with fennel sausage and peas. I know, I know, I talk about balance a lot, but I do believe it's so much of what makes a truly great dish. Not surprisingly, you've got it here. Pasta and tomato cream sauce is always a beautiful combination, with the acidity of a typical tomato sauce playing nicely off of the richness of a hint of cream. However, when you throw in the spice and depth of some fennel sausage and the sweetness of peas, it's really taken to the next level. Texturally speaking, this dish is flawless. The pasta and sausage provide substance, the peas a pop of freshness and there is just enough smooth, rich sauce to tie the entire dish together flawlessly.

Eat this. Immediately. And while you're there, don't hesitate to try the gnocchi and the risotto of the day. Both are always spectacular (and frequently make up pasta options 2 & 3 on my plate).

While you're dining, don't hesitate to sample their award winning 200+ wine list. I can't tell you how many delicious bottles I've tried here. Their servers are extremely knowledgeable in the fine art of wine pairings and can definitely assist your table in finding the perfect fit(s) for your meal.

Their desserts are also awesome. My favorites (and at this point, I've tried almost the entire list) are the panna cotta, the travoletta and the fondente. The panna cotta is an eggless vanilla bean custard, served with caramel sauce and fresh berries. And it's out of this world. The travoletta takes richness to a new level with Gianduja mousse, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate hazelnut crunch and raspberry coulis. The fondente is a warm flourless chocolate cake served with cappucino gelato. Unbelievable. That said, every dessert I've had here has been great, these are just my top three.

Also not to be missed is their selection of gelatos. Truly amazing. You get a little trio of flavors, so you don't have to pick just one. These vary, but my favorite is the stracciatella -- just as it was when Jenny and I were traveling through Italy and making up to 3 gelato stops daily. (BTW, stracciatella is similar to chocolate chip ice cream.)

The only dessert on the menu that I haven't tried is the dolce limone, which is described as candied lemon cream, amarena cherries, marscapone sorbet and amaretti crumble. Suffice to say, I'll be giving that a whirl next time I'm there.

Oh my gosh, Coco Pazzo. You make me so happy.

To learn more about Coco Pazzo, visit http://www.cocopazzochicago.com/coco-pazzo.html

To check out The Chicago Tribune's Must-Try Dishes for this week, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/dining/chi-100224-chicago-best-dishes-pictures,0,7166686.photogallery