tajmo

This year Susan and I decided to host an “orphan dinner” for our friends. We had good friends join us for some wonderful food and far-ranging conversations about social networks, Twitter, Facebook, the differences—real or imagined—between men and women, recent big-name speakers in Denver, regionalism of speech and etymology, and the best places to get tamales.

I think Susan did a beautiful job with the décor. Everybody brought great food to share. And I cooked the turkey for the third year in a row; I managed to learn something from past years’ experiences, like getting a turkey popper to make sure it’s done, and getting a cast-iron skillet ginormous enough (thanks mom + Jerry!). 

We also managed to start on time: by 6:28 the table was full of food, and dinner started at 6:30! Here are the menu and some pics from the evening.

Appetizers
Spinach artichoke rolls
Roasted+sautéed squash seeds

Main Course
Turkey (free-range organic), brined, stuffed with cut citrus, and roasted w/ thyme, butter & course salt

Sides
Cornbread & sausage dressing
Kabocha squash soufflé (from the garden)
Cranberry relish
Sautéed mushrooms
Tamales
Fingerling potatoes, roasted
Brussels sprouts, roasted

Dessert
Pumpkin bread w/ peanut butter chips
Pumpkin pie
Apple tart (à la Alice Waters)