thanksgiving menu

Thanksgiving never used to be one of my favorite holidays, but the older I get, the more it approaches favored status. The food itself is not the selling point for me — I’m not a fan of turkey, nor mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, soggy green beans smothered in cream soup, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or cranberry sauce. But I do like spending time with my family and friends.

Since my parents moved to the other side of the state a few years ago, we’ve started a tradition of having Christmas at their house and Thanksgiving at our house. And we always invite our friends over as well, a tradition that started well before my parents moved out of town when my mom would generously invite my friends whose families lived out of state and who otherwise might spend the holiday alone.

This year is probably the last year I’ll get to spend Thanksgiving with my parents; they’re moving out of state next summer. It makes me sad to think about it.

This year, the menu will be: Doc’s roasted turkey; gravy; dressing with sausage and cranberries; leek and garlic mashed potatoes; balsamic glazed carrots; sauteéd asparagus with garlic and Parmesan cheese; field greens salad with sliced tart apples, spiced pecans, gorgonzola cheese and dried cranberries with balsamic vinaigrette; antipasto salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and kalamata olives; cranberry sauce; apricot chutney; rosemary rolls; pumpkin tarts; apple cream cheese torte; wine.

Missing from the menu this year is pizza, which makes me sad because it was on the menu mainly for my brother, who is now living in Boston and can’t be with us. I did send him a “pizza kit” in the mail, to help him feel a little less lonely this year. Also, we are going to try to set up a video chat during dinner so we can eat “together.”