Pie Dough and Poultry.

I've been reading about Turkey.

It's my first time preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Seriously.

It's not a holiday I remember celebrating as a child. But, once Lane began inviting me to his family gatherings I developed a new appreciation for the Thanksgiving feast. We're a small group in comparison to my side of the family--the six of us fit nicely around the formal dining room table tastefully decorated with inspiration from Southern and Midwest Living. Dad reads from The Book of Common Prayer, and we eat. It's a lovely holiday and I thoroughly enjoy spending it with them. This is our first year celebrating Thanksgiving in Chattanooga and away from our family.

It's also our first Thanksgiving with Liam. He'll be eating "solid" food for the first time. I'll be serving him rice cereal prepared with fresh milk. We also have great friends coming from Baltimore to spend the holiday and stay the weekend with us, with cameo appearances from a few of our favorite Chattanooga people. I have been working on the menu for the last three weeks and have already begun the preparations. The turkey has been thawing since yesterday morning. The orange-balsamic cranberry sauce was last night's project. Tonight I made pie dough for four pies and have bright lemons macerating on the counter. Tomorrow I'll be assembling the stuffing, baking pies, and starting Marcia's rolls.

Can you tell how excited I am?

I have also decided to roast the turkey using a traditional shield and baste method from The Joy. My fourteen pound bird will be rubbed all over with a mixture of butter and olive oil, salted and peppered inside and out, set ever-so-gently on a roasting rack to have its breasts covered with a cheesecloth soaked in the butter and olive oil combination. Then it's into a three-hundred and twenty-five degree oven for the better part of Thursday morning, basted every with its own juices every half hour.

I'm looking forward to a delicious meal and quality time with fantastic people. While I love and miss our families dearly, we'll be back in Michigan soon enough.