On this Thanksgiving day, a year after my last epic cooking adventures, things are oddly quiet here. We’re much better prepared than I was last year; we’ll be eating an hour later but just about everything is done or pre-cooked so I’m able to relax and write this blog post.

For the record, our menu this year:

• Roasted brined turkey a la Alton
• Cider sage gravy
• Mashed potatoes with fried sage leaves
• Sausage and apple dressing
• Roasted harvest root vegetables
• Swiss chard with garlic and anchovies a la Two Fat Ladies
• Homemade cranberry sauce
• Pumpkin gelato
• Apple pie

(You may detect a few repeats from last year. I must confess: my spirit, and my crowded calendar, quailed a bit at the thought of doing another menu entirely from scratch this year.)

Lastly, my thanks for the past year and a great job, two great choral groups, a wonderful wife, two working showers and air conditioning (and no oil heat or radiators) in our house, our supportive families, and the most ridiculously cute Bichons ever.