Thanksgiving potluck

9 of us and a dog gathered for Thanksgiving potluck on Mon. It was the perfect combination of the finest food and company to remind us what we are most grateful for, family we were born into and family that we chose (friends).

There was so much food that I couldn't get it all in one photo! The buffet line started with mashed red skinned potatoes with garlic and sour cream (and some left over tzatziki), brussel sprouts sauteed in pancetta and onions with sherry and balsamic vinegar, quinoa stuffing with leeks.mushrooms and sausage, baked cauliflower with a tri-cheese crust, steamed corn (cut straight from the cob in mid Summer and frozen in all it's glory for this occasion), crisp coleslaw with cranberries in it, home made cranberry sauce (with wild cranberries) and the bird! Cooked in a bag, think it took about 2 and something hours to cook a 16lb bird this way. I wasn't convinced when I first heard the idea but it does work, the bag catches all the juices conveniently for you too and the meat doesn't dry out. I went to carve it and it pretty much fell off the bones! Only thing you don't get is crispy skin, so if you are a fan of that then you have to compromise for the speed and neatness, or just go about it the old fashioned way!

We rounded up dinner with the maple/pumpkin cheesecake and a ginger/pecan crust and a traditional home made pumpkin pie. And then the turkey coma set in...