SUNDAY DINNER EVERY DAY

Although Thanksgiving does not qualify as a typical Sunday dinner, I've included the recipes in this book because, in my family, Thanksgiving ranks number one as the favorite food day of the year.

I usually have about fourteen people (two 12 pound turkeys) over for the dinner and have plenty to eat for everyone with lots of leftovers for my children to take home. My family says the recipies are perfect so I am not allowed to change any of them from year to year. Now that my daughters are grown-up with their own families, they each contribute a dessert (but, of course, they are allowed to change their recipes every year).

The recipes are all made from scratch - I even make my own marshmallows to top the mashed sweet potatoes. Watching me make marshmallows was a magical experience for my girls when they were younger, especially when I torched the marshmallows right before serving. None of these recipes are difficult, but they are made in larger quantities than the other recipes in this book, so they are more time consuming. However, some of the recipes can be made as much as seven days ahead, such as the cranberry sauce. And you can prepare the marshmallows two weeks ahead. The turkey stock can be made three months ahead and frozen. It's all very doable and lots of fun.