I am not a great dessert-maker, save a few specialties--none of which is pie, so when I host as I am today, I farm out desserts. Also appetizers, which I used to spend a lot of time on. Holidays ar enow a breeze!

Since we're having our usual Thanksgiving dinner for CHristmas this year (the kids are both with in-laws today and miss the way I fix turkey day so we're doing it for Christmas...and Christmas ham for Christmas Eve, and prime rib today!). Both DS and DD are bringing my cranberry-orange sauce to their inlaws, though (or brining sauce to their inlays, as auto-correct would have it!).

Our first course today is cauliflower-fennel-leek soup, then fall salad (grapes or pears if they're ripe enough--I won;t fix this till just before guests arrive, feta, toasted walnuts and fresh dill and parsley over baby mesclun leaves with hubby's balsamic dressing). Then prime rib with horseradish sauce (Alton Brown recipes), mashed parsnip & potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash and onion with herbes de provence. Then pie :-) Hubby picked up a nice cabernet for the beef, but other wines will arrive.