It’s Thanksgiving Eve, time to say thanks for something. In my case it’s for everyone who has shared a recipe with me this year.

The annual "By Request" holiday tradition is to pay these good deeds forward, by offering the Top 5 recipes of the year in return for a $5 donation to the Star-Advertiser’s Good Neighbor Fund. The money assists the Community Clearinghouse as it assists local families in need.

These recipes are my favorites, and I’ve made them several times through the year. So some are slightly different from what appeared in the paper, as I’ve made tweaks and added variations.

This year’s Top 5:

» All-Day Portuguese Bean Soup: This dish launched "Slow Ono," a monthly Crock-Pot cooking column that focused on local-style recipes. After 12 months of slow-cooking experimentation, this remains my favorite thing to do with a Crock-Pot.

» Mix-‘n’-Match Meatloaf: A basic how-to that breaks down the components of a good meatloaf and explains how to vary them to find the combination your family likes best.

» Meaono Pohaku (Stone Cookies): Developed by James Ahia, who was ono for the Mountain View Stone Cookies he grew up with. Ahia worked on the recipe for months, comparing his with the real thing. His cookies, frankly, are better.

» Alley Restaurant Pumpkin Crunch: Thanks to Shane Masutani at the Alley, who shared this favorite from the eatery’s excellent dessert menu. It’s a simple formula that uses a yellow cake mix to form the crust.

» Hawaiian Sun Chichi Dango: Powdered juice mixes from Hawaiian Sun were among the great new products to come out in recent years. They’re easy to mail to POG-deprived expats, easy to carry as omiyage to the mainland. And they can be used to add tropical flavors to mochi.

HOW TO ORDER

Send $5 per set to "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Include a legal-size stamped, self-addressed envelope. Make checks payable to the Good Neighbor Fund. Deadline to order is Dec. 31.

If you’d like to make a larger donation, we’ll pass it on, but be sure to indicate how many sets of recipes you want and how much is a pure donation.

This is a snail-mail offer only — no emails or faxes — and it’s all or nothing. No discounts if you only want one of the recipes.

———
Email bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.