Thanksgiving dinner

It was a delicious meal, made all the more pleasant by sharing it with friends.

The turkey breast and legs received a spice rub treatment consisting of sage, rosemary, thyme, and minced garlic, mixed with some grapeseed oil to provide it some body. This was rubbed underneath the skin several hours before roasting. The turkey was then roasted in a gas grill, over a drip pan filled with chopped onion. I also included a tray of water next to the turkey to provide moisture during roasting, and I basted everything with the grapeseed oil periodically during cooking. The bone-in breast took about 2 hours to cook, and the drumsticks were done sooner.

The gravy served with the turkey was provided by 365 (a Whole Foods brand) but I took drippings from the turkey pan and added it to the gravy to provide a little extra flavor.

The sweet potatoes were boiled for 25 minutes, peeled, then mashed. I added some butter, sherry, and brown sugar. The result was fabulous. I was originally going to make candied sweet potatoes but my wife convinced me to make mashed instead.

The dressing was made from spiced dried bread cubes. I added sauteed celery and onion, and a whole lotta vegetable stock. The result was baked for about an hour, uncovered for about half of the time to give it a crusty top. Rather than add the cranberries to the dressing, we had a side of cranberry sauce.

While I was preparing the food and after our guest arrived, we had a wine and cheese appetizer with cheddar harlech, robusto, and swiss cheeses. The wine was a fabulous sauvignon blanc.

And for dessert, of course, a home-made pumpkin pie.

Everyone enjoyed the food and the company. No one left the table hungry. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. I hope you enjoyed yours half as much as I enjoyed mine.