Happy Thanksgiving

Bryan took this photo; I was occupied cooking. I cooked all day and then some, and I had a great time. I was tired, stuffed and inebriated by the end of the day, infused with that fine Thanksgiving feeling. This was my brother's first North Carolina Thanksgiving. It's great to have him here; it was with Bryan that I developed a love of cooking for crowds, particularly for the eight Thanksgivings we spent together in San Diego.

The Menu:

Hors D'Oeuvres: Dates stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts (by Lindz), smoked oysters

Roasted Turkey (an ordinary $.79/lb bird from BJ's, brined and prepared according to The New Best Recipe)

Cranberry Onion Confit (from The Best Recipe, previous edition of the above cookbook) - I'm glad I kept the old edition; they took this recipe out of the new one.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (prepared according to my own technique: unpeeled russets, three bulbs of dry roasted garlic, butter, half & half and salt & pepper)

Turkey Gravy (Tyler Florence's idea made sense to me. I used a few pounds of turkey wings and some aromatics and made this independently, instead of screwing around with the drippings.)

Bread Stuffing with Granny Smith Apples, Carmelized Onions, Bacon and Sage (from The New Best Recipe, and this is the third year I've made this one.)

Gratin of Braised Kale (my own interpretation of a couple of recipes in Saveur magazine, braised with smoked turkey wings and covered in bechamel sauce)

Wine: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2006, kindly supplied by my in-laws, Hayman Hill Pinot Noir 2005 Santa Lucia Highlands, kindly supplied by Bryan, Andew Quady Essensia Orange Muscat, supplied by me

Incidental Alcohol: Lindemans Framboise Lambic, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and a bit of Bryan's Barenjager the previous night while brining the turkey

Dessert: Cranberry Apple pie and Pumpkin pie, by Lindz and her mother (accompanied by lattes made by myself and Lindz)

I have no pictures of it, but we rearranged the furniture and put the Gramma Table in the the middle of the living room. Seven of us sat around it, and a good time was had. I admit that I was quite pleased with myself; I made a big meal for others' enjoyment, and it was the best kind of cooking: slow and from humble ingredients.