Giving Thanks

I'm utterly stuffed from yet another wonderful Thanksgiving meal and I think too much blood is being diverted to digestion to write much, but I wanted to post a few photos from our Thanksgiving celebration this year. As we have several times in the past, we shared the holiday with our dear friends Sarah and Jack and their sweet sons Ian and Craig, and Sarah's parents from New Orleans, Kathy and David. Several others joined us for the feast this year, too - Audrey and Carlos and their kids Sofia and Juan Diego; our friend Steve; and Jack's brother Patrick and his girlfriend, Meagan. Of course, there was probably enough food for twice that many people.

Here are a few shots memorializing the day:

Feast-ready table.




Seriously gorgeous turkey (which I should have shot from the other direction). Sarah brined this beautiful bird using Alton Brown's recipe.


Wild rice.


Totally bizarre but realllly delicious cranberry relish slaw that Sarah's mom introduced me to years ago when we spent Thanksgiving in New Orleans at their home. It's a recipe from the mother-in-law of NPR's Susan Stamberg and involves fresh cranberries, onion, sour cream, sugar and horseradish, all mixed together and then frozen and thawed. It's super easy to make, and trust me, it's way better than it sounds. Recipe here.


Things I really should've made more effort to get a better photo of: sweet potatoes; traditional New Orleans dish using mirliton (aka chayote) cooked with butter, shrimp, bread, and cheese; and some truly fantastic stuffing. That's the carved turkey bringing up the rear.


Pumpkin cheesecake. Mmmm.


Chris' signature dessert, lemon fluff. Surprisingly addictive...like eating lemon clouds.


And...the first pecan pie I've ever made!

There were also quite a few other things on the menu that aren't pictured here - cheese, crackers, and cornichons as appetizers; brussels sprouts; green bean almondine; giblet gravy; rolls; and three other pies.

Two more fun shots from the day:


Ian & Sofia

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones and lots of good eats.