Thanksgiving. Right.

Now that Thanksgiving day has come and gone, let's give some thanks, shall we? First, I am thankful for Queen's Mom, and ESD, and the rest of my family. While I was not able to be with the entire clan for the day, I was thankfully reminded that sometimes, family can cause some disruption in one's rather regular life, and it was just fine with me that ST1 (heretofore referred to as Amy) was able to join me for the royal cookin'. As for those of you whose regularly scheduled programming was disrupted by drama on this fine day, well, that's family for you! I am also thankful for my good friends, who are an uproarious fun group and I am blessed to have each and every one of them. I am grateful for Willow, who puts up with my odd comings and goings, tolerance for a freezing house and random insane mutterings. I think she does it for the cheese. And today, I am thankful for vodka. Let's just leave it at that for now.

 Cider Brine- Looks like sludge- but it made the turkey mighty tasty...

The turkey was brined for 24 hours. It was small so it was able to fit in the fridge in a pot, but in past years I've had to use coolers filled with brine and ice.

Apple Pecan Foccacia Stuffing getting underway.

Thyme-Nutmeg croutons for the Pumpkin Bisque.

Libation for the cook and the guest- Pumpkin Martini... Hmmm. Makes me thirsty.

Caprese Bites and Gougeres. The Italians and the French joining forces for some international appetizer action.

The turkey emerged about an hour before we were ready, and the extra resting time (and very secret internal ingredients) made it especially juicy. From now on, I will always rest a turkey at least an hour.

Don't get me started.... This was a special request of Amy's.

Gruyere Potato Gratin

It was the most well-documented Thanksgiving meal ever, but even so, we still missed the pie... Suffice it to say, Amy made a killer Swedish Apple Pie and it was served with homemade pumpkin ice cream. It was a yummy day! Hope yours was a good one. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.