Because I know the Friends of PTMYB (kind of like Friends of Thirteen, only with better premiums) want to know, here is what the well-dressed table at Chez Us will be wearing next Thursday:
Celery remoulade, made from peeled diced celery root, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, diced cornichons and a pinch of cayenne, served on Stoned Wheat Thins. This is our official starter, but really it's a little something for us to nosh while I check on the stock for the gravy and Lloyd cues up something interesting for us to watch.
Big ol' turkey, a nice free-range bird from the poultry farmers at my local market, never frozen. Rubbed with butter and Bicentennial Rub, a poultry seasoning from Penzeys Spices, stuffed and popped into a hot oven. I am a fan of the high-heat roasting. Yes, I will share in plenty of time for the holiday, if you're game.
Cornbread and prosciutto stuffing, a creation of my cooking mentor, the late Laurie Colwin. Every year that I make it, I tell myself that I shouldn't be saving it for Thanksgiving, that we should maybe get a nice little turkey in February and make cornbread and prosciutto stuffing to go with it. I never do.
Mashed potatoes, for me. Candied sweet potatoes (no marshmallows, please) for Lloyd.
Some sort of green vegetable, either a tossed salad or steamed broccoli, just because I like something to break up the starch brigade.
Cranberry sauce, the whole-berry sauce recipe found on the Ocean Spray bag, with red wine replacing the water. I never thought one could improve on the basic recipe, but there is something about cooking cranberries in wine that makes them magnificent; the color is brighter, the acids are more pronounced, the taste is more intensely cranberry. (Now I want a bowl of that to go on top of my pan of cornbread.)
Pie of some sort. Or birthday cake. ![]()
Yes, there are stories. And recipes. Stay tuned, dear friends.

