OK, so Thanksgiving was a couple of days ago and I’m just now getting around to writing about it. My bad! Anyway, this year was exciting because we celebrated Thanksgiving at my apartment for a change. This presented some logistical challenges, most notably having to rush the turkey straight from my mom’s oven over to my apartment before it cooled to the contamination point. I had a lot of cooking to do and, in typical fashion, stressed out way more than I needed to. I should have just trusted that dinner would be served 2 hours late, as it is every year, leaving me plenty of extra time to get organized. The menu:

Turkey with Gravy
Stuffing (cooked outside of the bird)
Mashed Potatoes with Red Chili
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Butternut Squash with Sage, Rosemary and Cider Glaze
Oven-Roasted Fennel, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Shiitake Mushrooms
Romaine and Radicchio Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnuts
Pumpkin Pie (with a special Candied Ginger Layer)
Gewurztraminer and Red Zinfandel
Winter Beers

I think that covers it. Things that are important about this meal are that I made the red chili for the mashed potatoes and I didn’t mess it up (being from New Mexico, this task normally falls to Robert - the making it, not the messing it up) and that the butternut squash recipe was a new addition this year. It is actually a recipe meant for delicata squash and it comes from the Herbfarm, one of the Seattle area’s most expensive restaurants. Despite the problems associated with trying to split the cooking duties between two kitchens, it all worked out very well in the end. The meal was lovely. Robert was happy because he was able to drink more beers than normal since he didn’t have to drive anywhere. And, there was a ton of leftover stuffing which made me pleased (as though I can’t just make it any time I want.)

Next up, Christmas! I’m putting up my little tree today which will probably piss a bunch of people off because it isn’t even December yet. Scrooges! Speaking of red chili, our theme for Christmas dinner this year is New Mexican so I’m sure I’ll have lots to report on that in the coming weeks. Happy holidays!