Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is surrounded by loved ones and the kitchen is full of laughter and good smells! Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday of the year. There is no pressure to buy the perfect present: All you have to do is eat, drink, and smile until your heart’s content.

Although 2009 has so far not been the year that Carlo and I had hoped for, we are still thankful for having each other and our relationship only getting stronger despite the many obstacles that we have stumbled upon this year. I’m thankful for my family, and although I’m missing them like crazy today since this is my first Thanksgiving ever to be apart from them, we are also creating a new holiday tradition with Carlo’s family in Tucson. I’m also thankful for all of my friends, near and far, who are the best and always make me laugh and feel better about life. I want to give out a shout out to our awesome kitty Boo, who I hope is doing okay at home in Las Vegas and is enjoying snuggling on my fleece that I left out for him.

Lastly, I would like to thank each of you who read our blog, try our recipes, and leave comments. This blog has been an incredible and rewarding experience over the last 9 months. Not only has it been a powerful source of unemployment therapy, it has helped me reconnect with old friends who also love food and create many new friends. Plus it was pretty awesome to be mentioned in the lead story on the front page of USA Today yesterday

So today, take a moment out from your day of foodie revelry and give your thanks to your support network, without which we would be nothing.

Happy cooking, and be reassured that even if things don’t turn out as planned in the kitchen this holiday, no one will remember it tomorrow. A few years ago, Carlo had to take a leaf blower to help fire up the smoker, and even though the turkeys ended up with a thick layer of ash over them (thankfully easy to remove once you took the skin off), everyone still raved about his legendary smoked turkey. Plus we have this awesome photo to remember one of our last Friends’ Thanksgiving in Austin.