Turkey, of course, lightly seasoned*, with stuffing.
Mashed potatoes with gravy from the turkey.
A mix of sweet potatoes with yams.
Green bean casserole.
Pumpkin au gratin.
Cranberry sauce.
Pumpkin pie, served with coffee and ice cream.
I'm sure I've forgotten something, though the point is my fiancee made all of the above and all were delicious.
*- The really tasty spice that gives food a greenish tinge. I realize that may describe more than one spice, though if I'd typed "basil" or "pesto" I'd turn out to be wrong.
Recent personal Thanksgivings:
2004, 2002, and 2001: Hosted by the Kubiceks (in Kansas, Kansas, and Walnut Creek, respectively).
2003: Russian-style food in a large family gathering at Julia's uncle's in SF.
2000: Chad and I (et al) shared a house; given how much of the prep work was Kubi-driven (actually the future Mrs. Kubi, since Mr. watched so much football), that's four times in a five-year span that the Kubiceks had me covered.
1999: Worked that day. My biggest Thanksgiving day meal consisted entirely of Triscuits, cheese, and summer sausage.
1998 and 1997: Snuck into a Harvard dining hall despite no longer going there.
1996: Indian food with my then-girlfriend when Star Market was closed (probably because of those ridiculous blue laws)
1995: Harvard dining hall, this time consumed legitimately. Joined by my friend Chuck, who'd just come out via e-mail. His being obviously the same person he'd always been was enlightening in that non-issue way that causes one to feel sheepish about thinking it'd be anything different.
1994: Invited to spend Thanksgiving with a particular church group in Boston. This site among others is wary of the group in question. I'll just say I had a pleasant Thanksgiving day and leave it at that. My friend eventually succeeded at inviting me to one of her church services; I never did succeed at inviting her along to a service where I went.
1993: Invited to a Boston University sorority somewhere in Allston.
1992: Flew home from college. The airport crowds were so annoying that I decided never to do that again.
1991 and previous: At home with my sister, parents, and family friends. Maybe one time in the 1980s we visited grandparents in North Carolina.
I'm guessing sage, as it seems to work well with poultry.
Posted by: Mark at November 25, 2005 08:21 PMI used fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. We also had a tossed green salad.
Posted by: Julia at November 28, 2005 08:48 PM