Thanksgiving Eve

On this day before Thanksgiving, there are a few folks I'd like to thank for helping me out in the kitchen:




Thank you, Pia, Maria and Dawn for giving me the most gorgeous blue Kitchen Aid mixer in the entire world.  Thank you to my brothers-in-law Jeff and Jimmy for understanding my lack of pie-crusting skills and giving me "Baking With Julia" for Christmas last year.  Thank you to my friend Ellen for encouraging me to use Dorie Greenspan's recipe (she actually wrote "Baking With Julia").  Between all of you, I should have an acceptable crust this year.

Thanks, Ma, for the best apple pie recipe EVER!  The store was out of Macouns this year so I subbed with Macintosh.  Bummer you won't be able to taste it.  You chose to move to North Carolina.

Thank you, Robin, for hosting me every year and insis(ter)ing I make a double recipe of cranberries.  Just in case.

And speaking of sisters, I'm guessing it's been at least 20 years, possibly more, since I've eaten turkey with this one.  But she's taught me a thing or two (or 800) about cooking.  And blogging.  But absolutely nothing about American cuisine.

Thank you to my husband's family for moving to Cape Cod, one town over from Eastham.  Home of the world's most delicious, albeit ugly, turnip on the planet.  Mash 'em up with cream and butter, and they're not so ugly anymore, are they?

Thank you Phil for nudging me into making creamed onions this year.  And an extra photo to your friend to show him how easy it is to blanch and peel the little suckers.

 And a special thanks to these two folks.

Happy Thanksgiving!