I love the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s such a great time of fun, eating, drinking and merrymaking with family and friends. Certainly my own Thanksgiving is that way! We had a relatively small group of 9 of us for turkey and all the fixin’s last night, at my parents’ house in Napa. The weather was the perfect cool and crisp Fall evening that made the smell of turkey and the warmth of the oven so comforting.
Our meal was fabulous, with an oven-roasted 24-pound turkey rubbed with paprika butter, and stuffed with my mom’s amazing stuffing (stuffing bread, sausage, apples, celery, onions, pecans and chicken broth). We made a rich stock from the giblets and vegetables for the gravy. And of course the meal wouldn’t be complete without mashed potatoes (I added a head of roasted garlic), sweet potatoes, and veggies. My Aunt Pattie made shredded brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and balsamic vinegar, and a Nantes carrot dish from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc cookbook (told ya my family loves that cookbook!).
Dessert was rather spectacular, with a spiced pumpkin pie (the secret is a bit of maple syrup) and a pecan, chocolate, caramel tart that my husband had THREE pieces of!
All in all, another wonderful year and a great holiday to be with my family. I am so thankful for having them all in good health and good cheer, for having our little Izzie (our 6-month old Golden Retriever), and for having such a house of great chefs to cook such fabulous food.
I truly hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving as well, and are feeling happily stuffed today. And now for the leftovers!
Bon appetit!
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