Thanksgiving color feast

Holidays at our house are

ALL ABOUT THE COLOR!

So I was excited to find these sunflower napkin rings on sale at Pier 1. I knew they'd be a perfect pairing for Thanksgiving with the apple green cotton napkins that I use all year. I combined them with a pumpkin-color tablecloth from India, an over-dyed green runner that I found years ago at a quilt festival, and chunky hand-painted square plates in a cornucopia of colors. 

The centerpiece was a grouping of gold and cranberry beeswax candles, with real cranberries poured into their glass holders. Mini-pumpkins and fall leaves completed it. I resisted the urge to add glitter.



Moving on to the livingroom, the appetizer spread was a thrilling (for me, at least) combo of red and green. Remember, red and green are opposite each other on the color wheel, so putting them next to each other heightens each color. I made the table runner from squares of fruity and leafy cottons sewn onto a nubby rough-woven green cloth. The spinach balls and dates stuffed with goat cheese were a hit.

I made this appetizer mainly for its color, but it turned out to be pretty darn delicious. The pale green endive leaves are filled with herbed goat cheese and strips of roasted red pepper. Those are little heirloom tomatoes in the center.

Next up, above, we have

Julia's butternut squash apple chutney

in progress.

She also made vegan cornbread,

maple sweet potatoes,

vegan chickpea cutlets

and vegan pumpkin pie.  

Here is non-vegan Dave with his 21-pound brined apricot-glazed perfectly browned roast turkey.

 No feast is complete without brownies.

... and no party is complete without BUNNERS! As Sheila says, "Bunners is fun-ners." He's always a hit with the ladies, and he was passed from one to another until we finally settled him on a cushion -- briefly, so he wouldn't pee on it after all the excitement. He is litter trained, but we didn't want to take chances.

Besides slaving over the turkey, Dave produced a complexly-flavored, well-balanced hoppy beer that he started brewing months ago. He calls it

BLACK ROCK CASCADIAN ALE,

and it is his own recipe. By all accounts, it's a prize winner.

I promised our guests that I wouldn't use their faces in the blog, but I do want to recognize them all for their lively and delicious conversation and food.

Cheers!