Well, that and The Great British Baking Show (Yesss Peter!), both of which distracted me from humblebragging much, much earlier about our Thanksgiving Day* spread. A spread that fed three of us on the night, and then for two days after, even though we’d halved and quartered recipes and chosen others meant for two. American portion sizes are a trip, man.

In our household, the Thanksgiving meal actually starts out as a spreadsheet. My sister is the genius behind this, creating a first draft of a menu that’ll then get kneaded and rested and shaped until it’s just right. Behold, this year’s:

Spreadsheets are my jam, by the way. They’re how we plan our groceries, our weekly meals, and even, in the Before Global Upheaval times, trips. Maybe it’s the science nerd in me, but seeing everything in rows and columns that can be sorted from A-Z—my absolute favorite basic function right now—is incredibly calming.

Anyway.

We started some of the cooking beforehand (like brining the turkey breast on Sunday night, and making the cranberry sauce). But most of it was done Thursday, while bopping to Bollywood music. It doesn’t get more fun than shimmying around a kitchen full of (quarantine bubble) family.

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So, here, in pictures (with recipes linked), our Thanksgiving meal.

First up: Bacon-wrapped, goat cheese-stuffed dates. Pack in extra goat cheese, you’ll need it for all that sweetness from the honey and the dates.

Salad: Roasted Squash, Caramelized Figs, and Feta Salad. I am, simply put, in love with this salad. It’s not too leafy, tart, filling but not heavy, sweet, salty. And it has pomegranates (my favorite fruit).

Store-bought boxed gravy that got an extra infusion of sage, rosemary, and thyme. Because we had (and still have) way too many herbs. Suggestions on what to do with them are all welcome.

Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast. Last year we made a 5lb turkey half breast that took 4 of us almost 5 days to finish (even with the help of 2 dinner guests). This year, we scaled down to a much more manageable 3lb half breast. And we joined the 95% of people I personally know who decided to use Samin Nosrat’s amazing recipe. And let me tell you, it did NOT turn out dry.

Honey-Glazed Brussels Sprouts and Herb & Fennel Stuffing. We tried not to repeat last year’s menu, but these two made it back to this year’s table. Because they are So. Damn. Good. Also, once again, the stars of the entire meal. Not even joking, they might make it to next year’s menu too.

Spicy Cranberry Sauce. There were 1.5 massive jalapeños in this concoction (the recipe called for 2, but I don’t think it meant of the size we had). And, oh, my. Wildly good. On a separate note, I truly enjoy watching cranberries cook. Because they make the funniest sounds as they pop and sort of melt into a mass.

Sweet Potato Casserole. This one got better as a leftover—and I’m not just saying that because I really like sweet potatoes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. Roasted garlic makes everything miles better. Just saying.

Dinner Rolls. We almost didn’t make them, but then my sister (who’s the baker in the family) decided to go ahead with it. Good decision, in my opinion—but then, I’m a sucker for carbs of all kinds.

The full plate, just because. I have the picture, it doesn’t look absolutely terrible, so why not?

And, for dessert: Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. Which we actually had the next day because we were so full up from the main meal. I was super nervous about this one, because I unexpectedly ended up making it (my sister was in charge of this dish, but cut herself peeling the apples. Seriously, our peeler is out for us). And it lost half its height between taking it out of the oven and transferring it to the fridge. Still delicious, and there’s now a carton of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream in our freezer. Which makes me ridiculously excited.

For all of its very problematic roots, I find Thanksgiving a great time to take stock of the year past, and enjoy a very expansive meal with my community (in my case this year, my siblings). So, from the perspective of this non-religious holiday that lets people come together for a day of just good food: Happy Thanksgiving!