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I had 9 friends over for Thanksgiving this year (2 not pictured).

My first year, I had Germans over. Last year, it was Americans. This year, it was a mix.

I took the day off. It ended up being a rare sunny day in November, and I spent it full of gratitude and thanksgiving. I didn’t rush or stress; I enjoyed a laid back day doing what I love: cooking for friends.

I love cooking and having people over–especially when I’m serving food they might not be familiar with (stuffing was a hit, pumpkin pie wasn’t — go figure!)

My first stop was the market. I walked right up to the farmer whom I visit every week.

“I’ll take that turkey please.”

“Goose.”

“What?”

“That’s a goose.”

Luckily, he had one turkey. Someone had reserved it and then canceled their order. It was a little over 7 kilograms (16 lbs). I had no choice.

I lugged that bird home (along with the rest of my last-minute food items), knocking people over, sweating, huffing and puffing.

My peaceful, relaxed day had turned into the ultimate Crossfit workout.

Other than having to Youtube which way was up, I felt like it was pretty easy. Of course, I still think it came out dry (and now I have a new Mt Everest to climb – cooking a turkey).

Also on the menu:

• gravy (yes, I made gravy and was disgusted the whole time)
• stuffing (also not a necessity for me, but I wanted the foreigners to have the ultimate experience)
• sweet potato casserole with roasted pecans on top
• roasted veggies
• kale salad with roasted butternut squash, pecorino, dried cherries, pecans – my favorite fall salad
• pumpkin pie with almond flour crust
• cranberry sauce sweetened with dates – this turned out amazing. Too bad I have no use for the rest of it that was left over

I even took leftovers to work on Friday and we sat in the cafeteria while I explained, “normally, you would put this all on a sandwich…”

I realize this post is a bit late, but I’m busy building a website at work. I’ve never done anything like this and it’s pretty much a big puzzle. I’m choosing every picture, video, and every single bit of text to go on every page. It’s quite an undertaking.

So my house became my workspace on Sunday.

I thought writing brand books was exhausting, but this web site is a completely different ballgame.

Is it Christmas yet?