we kept it pretty low key this year - with a small dinner after j got home from work. our 2019 menu consisted of:

an herb-brined turkey with gravy

browned butter mashed potatoes with creme fraiche and crispy sage

stuffing with golden raisins, cherries and cranberries
< after years of testing different scratch recipes I’m really partial to the nostalgic choice of the pepperidge farm baggie doctored up with some festive add-ins: fresh herbs, dried fruit, etc.

butter blistered green beans with toasted spicy pecans
< amid all the heavy, creamy, and butter laden dishes i think adding some freshness and spice is important to balance the meal

creamy cheddar mac and cheese
< a last minute addition that ended up being the star of the show - we have not one bit left

cranberry cherry amaretto sauce
< a must make. frozen dark sweet pitted cherries + cranberries + fresh orange juice and zest and amaretto. perfection.

caramel apple pie with maple whipped cream
< the williams sonoma recipe where you pre-cook the filling for a lucious, never soggy pie. if using a ceramic pie dish bake the pie on the lowest rack to ensure the bottom crust comes up browned and flaky, not pale and underdone.