We had 11 wonderful guests —family, friends and neighbors — for a Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday, and as a side note, when the crowd’s more than six I convert an 8-foot pool table for dinner, courtesy of some plywood attached to furring strips that nestle neatly within the (plastic-covered) bumpers. It can comfortably seat 12 and manage 14 in a pinch.

MT, as usual, did the turkey, stuffing and gravy; brother Jay brought a home-made pumpkin pie I paired for dessert with the Dutch apple tart in my Nov. 5 test kitchen, MT’s mom provided “blaukraut” (red, or blueish, cabbage), and MT’s sister made a delicious salad with arugula, goat cheese and homemade dressing. Our other sides included steamed Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, the roasted red beets with a tahini lemon sauce I wrote abou

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