My first turkey is now sitting in a brine of apple cider, orange peel, cloves, star anise, and brown sugar.

The rest of the menu:

appetizers: jicama with lime, crackers & cheese, kumquats

cranberry sauce & relish

turkey with some crazy gourmet stuffing (wild mushrooms!) I bought at Citarella (if it turns out weird, I have some sourdough bread as a backup)

mashed potatoes

roasted yams

green beans almondine

baby brussels sprouts (cute!)

watercress and spinach salad with grape tomatoes in a light balsamic dressing