An autumn feast

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Ten people came by my place Thursday for dinner -- the first time I'd ever hosted a family holiday of any sort.

I attempted to create the traditional dishes of the meal from scratch as much as I could. I made mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, and, of course, there was the turkey, which I brined and roasted. My guests brought additional dishes, including some traditional Italian fare, like eggplant parmigiana, calzone and macaroni pie.

We also had several types of apple cider -- heated and mulled; hard; pasteurized and unpasteurized -- as well as some wine, limoncello and other beverages. Desserts included apple pie, pastry, cookies, a rum bundt cake, a limoncello-inspired Italian cake and the aforementioned pumpkin pie.

All in all, the meal and the day were a big success. Now everyone wants me to host Christmas.