Thanksgiving in my home, from many hands...

 I make my pots for good food to be shared with good people, so it's easy to understand why Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. This year did not disappoint, with many hands (and chairs, and ovens) coming together to create a delicious meal, and many people coming together as new and old friends to create a beautiful day. I admit I had a few fleeting doubts, as I was also spending Thanksgiving week glazing for a kiln that I fired on Wednesday. But thanks to some great make-ahead tips I found on thekitchn.com, and the many good hands and good hearts of all who came to sit at the table, it was just all good!

Special props go to Michael & Jan, for all the last minute borrowed ingredients, plastic wrap, chairs, napkins, and oven space - not to mention the squash dish, the pie, the cranberries, and the appetizer (the very model of good neighbors)! And to house-mate Eric for jumping in to help with the prep all week: making his first pie, brining the turkey, making the gravy, cutting, chopping,stirring, and cleaning and more, which made Thanksgiving Day itself so very relaxing. And to Patricia for the incredible Apple Pie (her grandmother's recipe), and Michael & Julie for the Green Beans, the Salad, and an incredible Chocolate-Garbanzo (gluten free) cake. And to Kristin for fabulous Brussel Sprouts, for bringing her wonderful son, and their own chairs, and for taking gorgeous pictures! Recipes will follow, but here are some images from the day. The first is from my phone, and the rest (that look so very good!) are from the skilled eye of Kristin Fellows (who also makes a mean Brussel Sprout dish!).

Early afternoon Apps, clockwise from bottom left corner:
Coconut Shrimp on Wonton with Roots' Lima Bean Hummus,
Turkey Liver Pate, Challah Toasts (and olives, carrots, & cornichons).  

Lace-imprinted porcelain ornaments for each guest. 

It was a visual feast as well, with the colors of the food and the pottery dancing
around the beautiful table runner by artist Susan Webb Lee.

Eric did a masterful job on the carving. 

I knew this platter would be perfect for serving our Hickory Nut Gap Farm turkey. 

Two of my own offerings in the back in pieces from my 'signature servers' series:
 mashed sweet potatoes and the Chestnut/Apple/Leek dressing, done with Challah to celebrate
Hannukah. Green Beans in the foreground from Michael & Julie.

I love mixing up plates and bowls and cups, which somehow all seem to come
together as one design when the table is set. 

Thank goodness the sweet potato rolls match the table runner! Julie & Michael
brought their vibrant salad in a beautiful bowl by Angelique Tassistro, which seems to
find a complimentary pattern in the table runner as well.

From the bottom up: my Pomegranite-Citrus-Walnut salad, Kristin's Brussel Sprouts
 (in a bowl of mine that she bought several years ago), and an improvised gravy teapot (by Steve Prieto) 

Michael, who really IS Santa Claus, brings over the sides that he and Jan
graciously warmed up in their oven across the street.

By the time the candles burned down for the second night of Hannukah, we were ready for pie.
Patricia's incredible Apple Pie, and Pumpkin Pie by Eric - his first pie and a winner!

Jan's Mincemeat Pie - no doubt this is hand-made!  

Many times, when I'm at the wheel making pottery, I'm thinking of moments just
like this when my pots are filled with exquisite food at a table filled with good friends.

tucking into a true bounty of nourishment and friendship.

Grateful.

Holiday Love

I would start this post waxing on about how much I love the cooling fall temps, colorful sidewalks covered with fading yet still colorful leaves, root veggies and squashes filling the co-op shelves ... well I still mean it all, but we're having an unusual warm spell, and while it's truly lovely outside, my heart and mind are already moving on to cooler weather so it's also just a little odd.


I'll be sharing all the sexy goodness that follows in the coming months. I have the rare opportunity to be hosting much more than in the past several years, so I'll be looking for and playing with all sorts of seasonal goodies.  If you have some recommendations, feel free to share!


Till then, it's planning and scheming in advance of the day. Of all the things that come with hosting a holiday meal, I think the food-related thing I look forward to most is the smells. Going off to visit friends or family for a holiday meal is wonderful, and you know you've arrived at the party when you walk in the door to mingling aromas both savory and sweet. But then you go home, and even with a lovely plate of leftovers, it's still pretty much done.  When you host, you get to enjoy the layers of smells as they develop ... the fresh rooty smell of the pumpkin when you cut it open for roasting pre-pie making, the simmering veggies in anticipation of gravy or sauces, the slow evolution of the roasting turkey.  And it doesn't have to be a huge, opulent meal - even the simplest foods, if they're fresh, local and seasonal, can make the feast. And when you add people you love, it becomes epic in a Henry VIII kind of way. And then ... when you wake up the next morning, it still lingers. 


Here's hoping your holiday finds you sharing a meal with people you love, which makes any meal a feast, no matter how modest it may be, which is a very good reason to always be giving thanks. 

November Studio Schedule and other goings on...

...going ons? hmmmm...anyway, here's November's schedule! As always, and most likely with apologies in advance, it's subject to change:

Some tweaks to accommodate my continuing inability to clone myself. A few days off for Thanksgiving, which means I'll probably be firing unless family decides to come, then there will be additional tweaks for a firing.

Other notables not necessarily noted:

Henry is a 14 month baby boy with a rare genetic condition that causes severe immune deficiencies & anemia. He is undergoing many procedures and must be away from home with his family at Duke Children's Hospital. Henry’s treatment will take many months as well as a large expense. On November 11, the businesses listed below will contribute 11% of sales to help cover expenses connected with Henry's treatment. In addition to my diffusers that are available at the downtown Sensibilities Day Spa, I'll have a few additional pieces that will be for sale with all proceeds going to the cause. Check out the list and see how much of what you need to do can also help Henry:

Lola Salon & Gallery : Laurey's Catering : Limone's : Burgermeister's : Beans & Berries : Scully's : Salon 6478 : Sensibilities Day Spa : Samsel Architects : the L.O.F.T. : Asheville Wine Market : City Bakery : Full Circle Salon : Tressa's Jazz Bar : the Cleaning Lady : Pattie Moore, CPA : Wink Heads and Threads : Double Exposure Art : the Mellow Mushroom : the Gardener's Cottage : the Old North State : Nest Organics : Mamacitas : Mo Daddy's : Ingrid Miller, massage : Marilyn Biggers, massage : Charlotte Street Computers

Crazy Green Studios will be joining a lovely group of artists in Riverside Station for a special sale during Studio Stroll. Special specials on some great stocking stuffers, Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15.

Oh I know there's more, but I'm off to the Spookyblogapaloozananny-doo-thingy to support AHOPE and see Genie Maples' gorgeous painting find a lucky winner!

thankful

Holiday greetings! As much as I've enjoyed many non-traditional holidays in my life, this one will be a new version, as I'm not traveling nor receiving travelers this year. I'll be in the studio, getting as ready as I can for the holiday show next weekend, and yes still looking for a place to live. I'll be joining some friends for dinner later if I get enough done (or I'll enjoy the leftovers after that!), but the work rules the day! And while some may look at me and shake a concerned head for my being 'alone', I certainly don't feel it. I am surrounded, if not in actual proximity, in spirit, by a very large circle of love and support. It frustrates my mom that I can feel 'being there' without actually being there, because, well she'd just rather I be there. But I can - I know it's a holiday and all, but for me the true holidays come whenever I'm with family or friends, so when we see each other it's always a sort of Thanksgiving! But as I've said before, I'm recommitting myself to being thankful every day, and today I am indeed thankful for the nice, quiet day ahead in the studio (anyone who does what I do will pang with envy for that!). And for the leftover mole pumpkin pie from the Chocolate Lounge that's in my fridge. And for all the good energy being sent to me by those I can't be with today (keep it coming till I get that dang housing thing figured out!). There are plenty of challenges ahead, and every day is a day to be grateful for the opportunity to face them anew, and perhaps find some interesting delights along the path. But since today is the official day of Thanksgiving, I'll focus on all my people, my cozy studio awaiting, my big snoring dog that I'll have to drag off the bed then run through the woods with...oh and yes that pie! peace and many thanks to everyone, and a very happy day to you all! xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving from Lissa-the-wonder-dog!