I screw around with food a lot.

I add pumpkin to mac and cheese, honey to meatballs and broccoli to traditional Italian meat dishes, and I don’t feel guilty about it for a second. Flavors, in my book, are meant to be played with.

But there is one food I don’t like generally like messed with; a food so integral to my childhood and hence, adult comfort food regime, that I like to keep it exactly the way it has always been. That food is egg salad, and I like mine the way my mother made it, with eggs, mayonnaise, salt pepper and dried dill. Anything else seems superfluous and therefore less-comforting.

But today I am feeling adventurous…and also way too carbed-out from last week’s indulgences to eat anything starchy. So, I’m going just a little bit defiant on traditional egg salad. Not only am I messing around with the flavors, adding chives and fresh lemon juice and omitting the dill, I’m eating it in peppery endive cups…to great results.

I never rebelled much as a teenager, but check me and my renegade egg salad out now.

Last weekend I flew to Nashville to surprise my best friend Caitlin for her 30th birthday. We had one of those magical weekends with just the right balance of going out, staying in and simply enjoying sweet togetherness (mad props to her boyfriend Dale who kindly tolerated three straight days of Caitlin and me acting like we were in junior high). Anyway, I came back to San Francisco thinking about how lucky I am to have such a special friend in my life…and also about biscuits.

Biscuits all over Nashville are out of control, but I didn’t know I cared so much about them until I ate the ones at Loveless Cafe. Light and fluffy but insanely buttery on the inside with a crisp and even-more-buttery exterior. We spread them with fresh butter and jam (though they didn’t need either) and when we ran out, we hungrily requested more. I was uncomfortably full at the end of the meal, but it was worth it.

Admittedly, these are not as extraordinary as the ones at the Loveless, but they’re hot, fresh and buttery and they do the trick.

Looking for an appetizer or side dish that will make everyone think you’re a gourmet chef, while exerting as little effort as possible? Look no further. These only take a little bit of time to assemble and taste like a hybrid of a Japanese gyoza potsticker and a pumpkin ravioli. Easy and delicious—just make sure you have a big pan with a fitted lid.

If you haven’t watched this video from Tante Marie’s in San Francisco, stop whatever you are doing right now and watch it from start to finish. Not only is it hilarious, it’s full of good information about cooking a basic Thanksgiving dinner.

In my family, we don’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. We spend Thanksgiving day at whatever Sonoma winery happens to be open (though, since it will likely be raining this year, I think we’ll just be having a boozy indoors picnic). On Friday, however, we throw a huge party with traditional Thanksgiving food (and much of the non-traditional variety) at my parents’ house. My mother takes care of the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes (she puts so much bourbon on them that they smell like fraternity pledges) and pies and I handle the appetizers, a few sides and an additional dessert. Friends and extended family bring a few extras to add to the table. My dad selects the wine and my brother makes phenomenal martinis. It’s my favorite day of the year.

In terms of food specifics, appetizers-wise, this year I’m responsible for Vietnamese Vegetable Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce as a starter (for additional appetizers, we’ll also have a cheese plate, veggies and dip and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, courtesy of my roommate Kristina). For the meal, I’ll be making a quadruple batch of the deluxe version of my Brown Butter-Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. My mom will be brining and roasting an enormous turkey and also making fresh stuffing, the aforementioned bourbon sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts with apples, bacon and gorgonzola and sweet dinner rolls. Friends are bringing green beans, salad and more wine. For dessert, my friend Holly will be whipping up the most unbelievable coconut bars (basically butter, coconut and heaven mixed together and served in bar form), Mom will be serving pies and I’ll be hopping up from the table at the last minute to fry up about 100 Brown Sugar-Banana Spring Rolls. I’ll serve them sliced in half with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

That’s what we’re having this year but if you’re in need of a few other dish suggestions for a high-class, low-budget Thanksgiving, why not add some of the following to your roasted turkey?

Appetizers
Crostini 3 Ways
Bacon and Parmesan-Stuffed Mushrooms
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Chicken-Apple Meatballs with Honey and Sage

Sides
Bacon-Persimmon Stuffing
Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Shallots and Sage
Savory Sweet Potato Gratin
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Lemon

Desserts
Banana Cake with Cinnamon Swirl
Pear-Caramel Bread Pudding
Pear Spice Cake with Molasses-Cream Cheese Icing
Salted Fudge Brownies

It’s been a wonderful year in BrokeAss Gourmet Land, and for that (to unintentionally quote Daniel Tosh) I thank you. Thank you for your readership, your feedback and your support. I hope your holiday is warm, happy and full of people you love. Happy Thanksgiving.

Brown Butter-Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is probably my best-known recipe, thanks to its rich texture (despite the comparatively-minimal amount of cheese called for) and unique pumpkin flavor. It makes for a great side dish or vegetarian main year-round, but on Thanksgiving, I like to make it a little extra-decadently. I add sweet caramelized onions, extra cheese, use half-and-half instead of milk and give the whole thing a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Every year it’s a unanimous favorite at my Thanksgiving table—I hope this year you’ll share it at yours.