I don't actually get to cook on Thanksgiving; that's my mother's territory, and we all troop to her house to eat the burnt-offering turkey and assorted weighty comestibles. Lovingly, of course.

Spaw, your post struck a note with me. My major complaint about my mother's cooking in recent years has been related to her tendencies to 'de-fat' everything in sight. Now, we all should be eating healthier, and it's wise to balance that serving of sweet potatoes and praline sauce with some fresh veggies, but DON'T MESS WITH THE HOLIDAY FAVORITES... lest the peasants revolt!!! So, I read your recipe gleefully, taking a vicarious delight in the presence of bacon and cheese and other yummy things.

My contribution to Thanksgiving is very simple and very frugal: I take the turkey carcass home to boil it up and make broth... .lovely, fragrant stock that fills my freezer. And you don't need a recipe for that!

I do take leftover cooked turkey, chopped, and fold it into white sauce (made with real butter, dammit!) mixed with a little leftover gravy and serve it over rice or noodles. Real comfort food.