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Started with guo tie and xi jiang tiao before the main meal. As an antipasto, there was a spicy mound of thinly shaved fuqi feipian followed by the pasta course of liang pi. Gluttonous, I snacked on zi ran chao yang rou jia mo on the side. In lieu of turkey, I had a bit of Peking Duck, finishing up the meal with samples of fruit-flavored jerky, red bean cake and scallion pancakes. Thanksgiving doesn't end after the first meal, of course, so I ended up having seconds of besan and kaju barfi followed by cocktails and vegetarian sushi. Thanks to Serious Eats, I was able to turn what was to be a solitary Thanksgiving into a culinary adventure in Flushing.

I made:
2 sweet potato pies
2 pecan pies
1 derby pie
1 large pumpkin cake
1 large cornbread
2 whole wheat challahs
1 almond poppy seed loaf

My mother made:
More turkey than I could have imagined (1 20-some lb turkey and two large breasts) and gravy
Massive amounts of stuffing
Roasted root vegetables
Green salad with apples and fennel
Mashed potatoes with carrots

We shared duty on:
sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, and onions
carmelized brussels sprouts

With drinks: raw almonds roasted with e.v. olive oil, sprinkled with fleur de sel; gougeres (from Roses Bakery); tiny empanadas filled with ground beef and apple chutney and celery with creamed cheese (Janis).
At the table: Naragansett turkey, salted the day before, 10 minutes after FedEx dropped him off, brought from the fridge about 2 hours before going into a 400' preheated oven, slathered in Delittia buttered cheese cloth, oven temp. reduced to 350' after an hour (thanks Alice W. & Julia C). A dressing made with cubed, stale rustic bread, sauteed onions & celery, thyme and parsley from the garden, and sausage (I made J. C. recipe). Make-ahead mashed potatoes (Pioneer Woman, potatoes from our CSA farmer). Gravy made from the drippings of a previously roasted free-range turkey, using turkey stock and stock from a roasted capon (wow, what a flavor boost, and thanks to Brooke29 for the post that inspired me to buy slow cooker!). Riced yams and a molded salad with raw cranberries & vegetables (Anna). Roasted vegetables (Beth). Creamed onions (Janis). There were bowls of cranberry-currant-walnut sauce (M. Stewart) with Gran Marnier added, cranberry, shallot, dried cherry compote, cranberry, quince chutney (SE, Lidia B), and pickled peaches. There were a number of bottles of white and red wine brought by our eight guests.
After a pause, there were pies from Roses: Bramley apple, pumpkin, and pecan along with the pint of cream mentioned elsewhere (almost ran out!). There was Billecart-Salmon Rose and coffee, later.

Based on the response here, you definitely asked the right question!

Italian cured meats and cured green beans
Anchovy, Parsley, and black olive tapanade

Cauliflower and almond soup
Onion tartlets

Dry brined, roasted turkey
Chestnut, apple and leek stuffing
gravy
Sweet yam and maple puree
potato gratin
Brussels sprout leaves with pistachio nuts and lemon

cheese course (Stilton, Sottocenere, Pecorino)

Torta della Nonna, Apple Pie, and Double chip (potato and chocolate chip) cookies

Appetizers
Cured salmon (homemade, based on the recipe in Charcuterie), served with whipped chive cream cheese, red onions, and capers
Cheese & Crackers

Dinner
Butternut squash ravioli with sage cream sauce
Herb and Mustard Turkey (epicurious)
Yukon gold mash with buttermilk and lots of butter
Bread dressing with onion/celery/green pepper
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Sauteed green beans with shallots
Turkey Gravy
Cranberry sauce with bourbon (friend brought)
Whole wheat dinner rolls

Dessert
Brownies with port-poached pears and vanilla bean ice cream (friend brought)

Sam Adams Winter Sampler beers
Apple Cider with Jameson
grenache/syrah red blend
sauvignon blanc/semillion white blend

Great dinner, great company, and the Eagles won. :)

Starters:
- cheese plate (Humboldt Fog, Fromage D'affinois, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, Rogue River Blue)
- pickled okra (the last jar left from this summer)
- rosemary roasted nuts (Union Square Cafe cookbook)
Dinner:
- wonderfully moist & delicious Earl Grey-brined grilled turkey (epicurious)
- salad of baby greens, mixed citrus, picholine olives, and chevre
- oyster dressing (Dad's family tradition, Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing as base)
- roasted brussels sprouts, carrots, golden beets, pearl onions with bacon vinaigrette
- mashed potatoes
- cranberry-apricot chutney
- parker house rolls with cranberry butter (NY Times)
Dessert:
- Kahlua pecan pie (my parent's specialty, from the Kahlua recipe book!)
- tart tatin
- homemade vanilla-ginger ice cream

My husband & I hosted our families for the first time - managed a delicious meal and a lovely day with family!

Sweet Potato Baklava.

Pistachios, Cashews, Raisins, Dried Cherries

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranate, Toasted Hazelnuts and Cocktail Grapefruit with Sunflower Seed-Meyer Lemon Dressing

Cornbread socca with roasted garlic, agave nectar and sea salt

Main Dish:
Braised Curly Mustard Greens
Caramelized Pearl Onions
Black Lentils in Zinfandel Mushroom Sauce
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Garam Masala
Trio of Phyllo Purses; pumpkin, walnut, sage; truffled sunchoke; christmas lima beans with "thanksgiving flavors"
Mashed Potatoes
Deep Fried Craberries

Vegan Pecan Pie in Almond-Corn-Flax Crust
Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Homemade Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

We tried to get most of our food locally and from farms this year.

Roasted turkey, cider-braised pork butt w caramelized onions, mashed potatoes with bacon and gorgonzola cheddar and fontina cheeses, cornbread stuffing with sausage and chestnuts, spinach pear and avocado salad, cheddar scallion biscuits, fresh cranberry sauce, duck gravy, turkey drippings gravy, roasted root vegetables, mashed and candied yams, homemade and store-bought pumpkin pie, apple pie, homemade whipped cream, homemade pumpkin cheesecake brownies.

Everything came out delicious and we were all very full afterward.

As a rule, I wouldn't be caught dead serving anything made from a box. However, I did "come out of the baking closet" recently, when I tried AND admitted making a "Mexican Chocolate Brownie" featured on the Pillsbury Bake Off Contest page. It was actually VERY good. But I also suspect that the addition of 1-1/2 cups of Ghiradelli 60% baking chips had a GREAT deal to do with the outcome. Aside from that, growing up with that artificial cake mix smell, was deterrent enough to keep me away from the boxed stuff for life.

Ehhh, whatever. Take a box. Add 4 eggs, a packet of instant pudding mix that compliments the flavor and a cup or so of milk. Hell, maybe a half stick of soft butter just for kicks. Mix. Bake. Eat.

Better than most bakeries can produce, thats for sure.

I don't make or eat a lot of sweets. However, I do have a weakness for the boxed Ghirardelli double chocolate brownie mix. Yes, I know brownies are easy to make from scratch. I've made them. But these particular boxed ones are darn tasty and so very, very fast.