I throw two big parties every year. One is my birthday, which after years of having at my house (where I- as birthday girl had to spend way too much time cooking and cleaning) is now held at a karaoke bar so that my friends can buy me copious amounts of alcohol and dedicate silly songs in my honor. The other is Thanksgiving.

I really want to do Thanksgiving this year, and I am going to give it my best shot though I haven’t been my normal social self lately (I blame drugs!). Last year there were more than 17 people in my tiny apartment. People were sprawled on the floor indulging in yumminess and booze. This year there may not be as many people, but I am whipping out my chef’s knife and the section of my recipe binder (The Red Hot Mama’s Book of Good Eats) labeled “Thanksgiving- The Good”. There is also a section labeled “Thanksgiving – The Bad and The Ugly” to remind me of what recipes have gone horribly bad- like the butternut squash soup where the squash tried to reconstitute itself in the manner of the evil liquid metal robot in Terminator 2 or 3 (I can’t remember which).

So here is the list of standards that I use:

Turkey cooked in a liter of wine and butter (I usually do a 22- 24 pounder)

Cornbread stuffing with sausage and walnuts

Mashed potatoes with roast garlic and dill

Smokey green beans almondine

Cranberry sauce with apricots and ginger

Whipped sweet potatoes

Spinach and pear salad with raspberry vinaigrette

And this year- deviled eggs. I am always a little embarrassed at my love of deviled eggs, they seem so retro 50’s housewife and not at all gourmet. But after attending a barbecue this summer where I watched a bunch of hipster musicians suck down deviled eggs like their grungy predecessors sucked down heroine, I am no longer ashamed to serve them to girls with asymmetric hair cuts and boys in tiny girl pants.

I also think I am going to do grilled portabellos for the vegans main dish this year. They are terribly easy and can get popped into the broiler while the turkey is resting.

We eat like civilized people- dinner is generally 7 or 8 pm. None of this eating at 2 in the afternoon for us. And since I don’t generally make desserts, that I what my guests bring. Thanksgiving goes on until the wee hours of the morning with much wine and music and good friends.

So friends out there too far away to join us here- what are you doing for Carb-fest 07?