Feast on Thanksgiving

It's the day of the American Thanksgiving and as I look back at the year, there is much to be thankful for. For all its challenges, the United States is a great place to live and I particularly enjoy the New England region where I reside.   I've travelled a lot this year (see earlier blog posts for more on that), but always appreciate coming back home to my family and local area here in Southeastern Massachusetts.   

We celebrated the holiday with another family from our town.  In total, seven of us gathered for the feast.    

The bird turned golden and we let it sit awhile before carving it up. For some reason, it looked easier on TV this morning, but we managed. I opened up a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel 2003, which proved to be popular and counted as a dead soldier before the meal was finished. Our feast was mostly traditional -- turkey, mashed potatoes, acorn squash, green beans with toasted almonds and a cranberry apple sauce.  

The golden bird, fresh from the oven, looked like this:  

About an hour later, we were ready for the pies, pumpkin and apple, along with a variety of beverages, including Grand Marnier, Cointreau, tawny port and cognac. I tried out both types of pie and washed it down with Pinot Noir and a yearly taste of cognac. We also took a hand at solving all of the problems of our church and the local town, accelerated by a boost from our beverages. The pumpkin pie delighted us and looked almost too good to eat; its decorations included a turkey centerpiece and crust molded in the shape of maple leaves. It was a shame to eat it, but we dug in anyway.  

Nap, anyone?