When I was a kid Hallowe’en was my favorite holiday, but now that I’m grown up Thanksgiving seems perfect. The food is fantastic and the company even more so—we are very grateful that we were able to share the day with Nonna and Pappy and a couple dear friends, and the rest of our far-flung family and friends are close in our hearts on this holiday too. A day for celebrating the bounty of the land with loved ones…what could be better?<\/p>\n
Maybe there’s one thing better: the day after<\/em> Thanksgiving. A day for just sitting around in our bathrobes grazing on all the leftovers. That’s pretty great too.<\/p>\n Our Thanksgiving menu this year:<\/p>\n slices of Pink Lady apples and Point Reyes “Toma<\/a>” farmstead cheese murderous mashed potatoes (seriously, the mashed potatoes will<\/em> kill you—I make them exactly twice a year, and they are fantastic, because the Cook’s Illustrated recipe involves a stick of butter and three cups of heavy cream. I always warn everybody beforehand so those with any cholesterol issues know to take them very sparingly.)
\nslices of prosciutto and fuyu persimmons drizzled with balsamic vinegar
\nsmoked almonds
\nrum-glazed pecans<\/p>\n
\npan seared brussels sprouts with bacon
\npear-ginger cranberry sauce
\nBN Ranch<\/a> heritage, pasture-raised turkey
\nand in place of stuffing, Judy Rodgers’ bread salad<\/a>. (My friend Matt, who is gluten-intolerant, usually comes for Thanksgiving, so most of the menu is gluten-free…this is my single “asterisk.”)<\/p>\n