I decided to branch out from my standard Thanksgiving food and try some different things this year, since we just had one person join us this year (Eddie). I didn’t exactly use the recipe for the turkey – I salted it and stuffed the cavities as described, but then went my own way with roasting (breast side down first) and gravy.

We couldn’t stop eating the walnuts – yum. I think I still need to experiment with stuffing, but the vegetables were all good, as was the turkey. Larry liked the pie but wants a firmer texture.

With the exception of the potatoes and the pie, all of the other Fine Cooking recipes are available in the book How to Cook a Turkey. I checked the book out of the library, although I thought the title was stupid. I ended up really liking the book.

• Spicy Maple Walnuts (Fine Cooking #48, December 2001, p. 62)
• Salted Roast Turkey with Herbs (Bon Appétit, November 2008)
• Madeira Gravy (Fine Cooking #35, November 1999, p. 30)
• Fennel & Escarole Stuffing with Pine Nuts (Fine Cooking #24, December 1997, p. 43)
• Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Shallot & Herb Butter (Fine Cooking #70, February 2005, p. 46)
• Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots (Fine Cooking #95, November 2008, p. 48)
• Sugar & Spice Pumpkin Pie with Brandied Ginger Cream (Fine Cooking #95, November 2008, p. 50)

Wine: – Ridge 2004 Carmichael Vineyard Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California). I think this is my favorite Ridge Zin. – Loring 2004 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, California). Larry’s not crazy about Loring wines but I love them. It’s a very Pinot-y Pinot, elegant and plummy.