The turkey is rinsed, defrosted and ready to be stuffed. A big bowl of roasted sweet potato puree with vanilla bean and orange zest is ready to be reheated (I had a moment of panic when it appeared that I had killed my mom’s Vitamix in the process of pureeing. Thankfully, I had only tripped the reset switch). Mushrooms, celery, onions and garlic are chopped and ready to be sauteed in the morning for stuffing. Brazil nuts have been roasted and slivered almonds have been toasted. Slabs of hubbard squash have been separated from its rind and hacked into manageable sized cubes. Green beans will have to be washed and trimmed tomorrow, but that’s okay. We are ready.

I did the apple crisp this afternoon by taste and feel. It is eight apples, peeled cored and sliced. Tossed with lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sugar. The topping is a stick of butter (I know, it makes me cringe too), a couple of cups of oatmeal (I never actually measure), some brown sugar, more cinnamon and chopped toasted pecans.