It's a year which really brings into focus what we can be thankful for (and what we simply have to bear).

I am so grateful to have time back in my kitchen and the luxury of a delicious meal on its way to the table.

May your turkey be juicy, may your pumpkin be spicy and may your time be spent in good company.

I promise this one gives you some Thanksgiving recipes which will have your table full and your guests sated.

From start to finish; first sip to last bite.

I spent Election Eve quaffing this elixir with my friend, Cyndi.

Sunset-bright

Fizzy-lovely

Bitter-sweet

Just pop n' pour the prosecco, drizzle in a little Aperol.

Quaff indiscriminately!

This drink is as fun as foreplay.

This is the perfect appetizer for a cold night. Understated, kind of cuddly, warm and sweet.

It is an especially perfect treat to kick off your Thanksgiving dinner.

These yams are so delicious, they deserve to be brought forward from being the turkey's sidekick to being the opening act.

A friendly greeting, a glass of bubbly and a delicious, warm and creamy appetizer...I cannot think of a better way to greet your Thanksgiving guests.

These yams have a purple skin and creamy white flesh. As they roast, they develop a chestnutty flavour. Sprinkling chopped, warmed chestnut on top amplifies this. The dollop of creme fraiche, sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon will transport you.

This stuffing was truly the most redemptive part of my dinner this Thanksgiving.

Truly.

I overcooked the bird.

Happens. Shouldn't have. Did.

I lovingly doted on the turkey for 2 days. Doused it in a buttermilk brine. Do you have any idea how much buttermilk that takes? I felt like a sour-pussed wet nurse by the time I got it into the oven!

Anyway, the stuffing was perfect in all regards except quantity.

Please try it:

I moved house this year, so this was the first time that I'd cooked the Big Turkey Dinner in this oven.

It is a tiny old stove and I had to be a little more nimble as the Turkey took up the entire oven.

Solution: I bought tiny, baby carrots, parsnips and kipfler potatoes and baked them all in parchment.

They cooked in no time. I fact, they roasted whilst the bird was resting (it can be exhausting sitting in an oven all day).

The potatoes were sealed with butter, Murray River salt flakes and fresh sage leaves.

Itty Bitty carrots got wrapped with lavendar, savory, butter and more sprinkles of red salt.

But it was the parsnips which took first prize: butter, brown sugar and nutmeg.

The beauty of cooking them this way was that I could put a couple of parchment parcels along the table;letting everyone rip them open and plunder them!

If you dare eschew the traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert, then you'd better have something that is going to make the gathered crowd go 'Aah!' instead of 'Aww!'

These little pumpkins loaves are as cute as puppy dogs and a whole lot tastier.

Spicy and moist and filled with an unbelievably light and fragrant filling, I like to serve them with a warm caramel, rum and maple dipping sauce.

It makes for a stickily silent moment as everyone realises that, in spite of the meal they've just consumed, there is (after all!) a little space left for dessert.

Thanks to everyone at home; in the kitchen, at the table or out on the deck.

May everyone who celebrates it have a wonderful thanksgiving.

Cheers, Mannix

mannix@thelovebite.com