We awoke to a couple of inches of snow but the roads were clear and our friends from Shelton Laurel and our nephew and great-nephew from Asheville were able to join in the feasting. Our older son and his wife had made the drive from Atlanta the day before so we were ten at table. Daughter-in-law Claui had to be at the Asheville VA hospital all day --- she is is the final semester of nursing school and has a number of hours to fulfill. (She joined us late in the afternoon to enjoy some of the great food .)
Some creative table arranging was called for . . . everyone contributed to the meal and there was an embarrassment of riches. There was room for the cranberry-apple compote, the cranberry gelatin salad with pecans and celery, the cranberry sauce, and the cranberry salsa, the green salad, the fennel salad, the rolls and butter -- but the rest of the food had to stay in the kitchen . . .
Turkey, of course, and dressing and gravy, winter squash gratin, thin-sliced Brussels sprouts, sauteed and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and bacon, green beans with almond slivers . . .
I forgot to get pictures of the nibbly befores: crackers and cheeses and spreads (chopped liver, smoked salmon, pumpkin hummus!) and Bloody Mary's . . . and after all the sparkling wine, it's no wonder I also forgot to take a picture of Aileen's delicious pumpkin/cranberry cake with maple icing . . . and her cinnamon ice cream.