First of all, best pizza dough ever. I've always made a super thin, crackery crust, but with the KitchenAid's awesome kneading power, I achieved a still thin but definitely chewier crust.

Second of all, I've figured out my Thanksgiving menu. I've been tempted by all these shmancy Jacques Pepin recipes and recent NYT articles with things like celery braised with olives and tomatoes, when I realized what I really want is a Thanksgiving dinner like I've always had. So that means turkey, normal turkey, with stuffing on the inside, and rice and gravy, and squash casserole, and celery with cream cheese and pecans, and rolls. Pecan pie and chocolate cake. A cheese ball to graze on beforehand (though no Chex Mix or fudge, which are also traditional in my family).

My mom's graciously sent me most of her recipes (from her mother or San Francisco Encore or Bell's Best [that would be the chocolate cake, which she and her mother have both emailed me a jillion times and I've finally managed to hang onto]). I'm branching out from her chocolate pecan pie to the bourbon pecan pie from The Gift of Southern Cooking, and I think instead of asking her for yet another recipe- her cheese ball, from River Road Recipes- I may try Julia's Roquefort cheese balls instead. But other than that, it's all traditional.