The Thanksgiving Menu

Whew.  The groceries have all been bought, and soon it shall be time to transform them into an amazing feast.  Here's what's on the table this year:

Crudités with Caesar dip

The Morton Thompson Black Turkey (and here's a second version of the same recipe) 

Morton Thompson's Turkey Stuffing

Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Cream Biscuits

Dinner Rolls

Creamed Spinach

Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnuts and Brown Butter

Bellana's Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Maple-Bacon Glazed Carrots

African Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Frisée Salad with Cranberry-Bacon Vinaigrette and Blue Cheese Pastries

and then for dessert in case my guests haven't popped yet...

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin-Whisky Cheesecake with Brown Sugar-Whisky Cream

Classic Pecan Pie

It should be a fun few days of cooking.  Everything is from scratch; I wouldn't have things any other way.

Quickie

There are better times to find out that one's oven sits off-kilter than after baking the first half of a wedding cake.

Incidentally, the cake itself is red velvet, with (what else?) cream cheese frosting.  It will be decorated with blue and silver ribbon, and dotted with silver dragees.  I'm sure that sticking the eighty kabillion dragees on the cake will drive me to utter madness.  But then, it's hard to be driven somewhere when you're already there, isn't it?