Thanksgiving!

It's almost Thanksgiving, and I am Very Excited.  T-day is the one holiday a year that is mine, mine, mine - mainly because traveling to and from NYC is so terrible on those days that I can't even contemplate it, but also because it's the one major non-religious holiday that I can co-opt for my own cooking plans!  I'm not sure how many we're having this year - somewhere between 5 and 7, I think - and I'm already poking at the menu.  Last year, I made this amazing Golden Onion Pie which I loved, but which is just... too much onion even for me.  Like, I had plenty, but most people had a littttle sliver, which makes more sense, and then I had ALL THE LEFTOVERS EVER.  Also, for the amount of work it takes, the payout was decent, but it was still a lot of work.  (Note: making a huge batch of carmelized onions in the crock post SEEMS like it will work, but it really doesn't.)

I also made a Sweet Potato Gratin instead of my usual "sweet potatoes, cream, spices, butter, whiskey, marshmallows" concoction, mostly because I thought it would be more grownup.  Honestly?  It was delicious, but I missed my marshmallows!  And the leftovers weren't nearly as awesome.  So back to the basics this year!  A turkey breast (thank you, BJ's, for having them on sale for $1.99 a pound!), fresh gravy (thank you, America's Test Kitchen, for a kickass recipe!), stuffing from scratch, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, roasted green beans (test run was a MASSIVE success), butternut squash (anyone having dental work that week?  we seem to have a lot of mashed things), and maybe another veg (*cough*brusselssprouts*cough*) if I get up the energy.  And rolls!  And cranberry jelly that is shaped like the can!  And maybe ham, because my roommate's dad is the best dinner guest ever!  And pies!

Anyway, I like thanksgiving.  It's an excuse for me to cook with heavy cream, pounds of butter and a ton of bacon, and everyone just says THANK YOU.

I'm also excited about my PRE-thanksgiving cooking, which will involve Swedish meatballs and lasagna and will feed us in style up to Thursday.  Cooking, man.  When in doubt, stress cook your way out of any situation.

What are you doing for T-day?  Are you doing all the cooking yourself?  Are you bringing a dish somewhere?  Are you not American, so I should shut up about this?  Share some recipes with me!