Thanksgiving 2009

Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it has been since I was a little girl. Nothing makes me happier than a houseful of people on Thanksgiving even though, now that I am the cook, it's completely exhausting. This year, Brian and I hosted both our families again and the meal was a hit.

With cocktails, I laid out a selection of good cheeses and crackers, crudites with a hummus dip and an assortment of roasted nuts. The turkey came out plump and juicy with a crispy skin and good seasoning. I just rubbed it with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. I added some drippings to the herb stuffing and cooked it on the side as a casserole. The turkey was stuffed only with sage and rosemary leaves along with some garlic and lemon wedges.

Side dishes this year were mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash with maple syrup and green beans sauteed with onion along with corn bread, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce. No one on my side of the family has ever been much of a cranberry fan so I've never had any interest in making my own sauce. But Brian and his family are enamored with it so I just bought a good gourmet cranberry sauce and everyone seemed happy. I served my homemade apple pie and store bought brownie chunks for dessert.

We collapsed into a food coma as soon as everyone was gone. But the best part of being the hostess is the leftovers and we knew we'd spend all weekend enjoying those. This was our first Thanksgiving with our puppy and she appreciated both the company and the leftovers :) Aah...contentment.