Thanksgiving menu planning

If there's one thing I love it's a good list. Or a good stack of cookbooks just waiting to be read - and made into Thanksgiving shopping lists!

This year I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with a dinner party - turkey and all the "fixins". Which includes in no short order:

• Pie 
• pumpkin
• pecan
• apple
• Turkey
• gravy 
• stuffing
• Cranberry sauce (with orange zest and Thyme)
• Potatoes dauphinoise 
• Green beans 
• Sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble
• Cornbread ...or  regular yeasted bread...To Be Decided
• clam chowder (to start)
• green salad

There are just a couple of rules about Thanksgiving in my mind; namely, there has to be some over-the-top turkey themed decoration. And there has to be cranberry sauce and at least 3 kinds of pie. You can't have Thanksgiving without pie in bulk - it's just one of those facts. 

Also, everyone has to say what they're thankful for. It's what separates a Thanksgiving dinner party from just your average dinner party (And pie. Did I mention pie? Lots of pie.).