[gardener]

This is the first Thanksgiving since I was married that my wife and I have been apart. Filial duties to her mother, by our mutual agreement, this year trump marital tradition.

But I didn't have to take pot luck in a shelter for homeless guys. I was invited by one of my son's in-laws to share the holiday feast with them. Asking what I could bring, they suggested mashed potatoes. I'm pretty good at these, although my wife usually restrains my use of animal fat. In her absence, I was unrestrained.

I peeled about 3 pounds of Idaho potatoes. Cut them in large chunks. Barely covered them in cold salted water. Brought them to a boil, then simmered for about 25 minutes, when they were just getting soft. Drained and returned to pot to dry. Meanwhile I had scalded a pint of half and half. I started mashing the spuds by hand (a food processor makes them gummy sometimes). Gradually added the hot cream, three sticks of unsalted butter, and 6 ounces of cream cheese. (Okay, it's just once a year!) Added salt and pepper to taste, also freshly grated nutmeg. Put them in a heavy casserole and kept them in the oven at 200º for about half an hour.

Then came brussel sprouts. I had three little tubs of fresh sprouts. Removed outer leaves and trimmed stems slightly. Steamed them until bright green, about 10 minutes. In a dutch over pot, melted two sticks of unsalted butter. Added the sprouts, stirred and salted and put in a 250º oven for braising, covered. After 30 minutes, removed cove, and cooked another 30 minutes. The sprouts were still intact, but crispy and brown. Spooned them out of the pot into a small ovenproof casserole dish, then heated the remaining butter in the dutch oven t brown and added 3/4 cup of slivered almonds, allowing to toast for 5 minutes until light brown. Added almonds to sprouts. Added juirce of two limes, lime zest, salt, and a couple of pinches of Asian 5-spice mix. Reheated for serving. Everyone except my son pronounced them delicious. (He doesn't like Roquefort cheese, either--gene didn't get passed down somehow.)

Again, it's once a year. Usually I simply stream most cole vegetables