Coming soon is my favorite meal of the year. Turkey and all the usual trimmings: stuffing, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie. And, as usual, I'll be making an oyster dressing and...hmmm, why not something different?

I've tried a cranberry-orange relish before. I thought it was excellent -- tart, yet sweet. It was the perfect counterpoint to all the heavy, savory dishes. I thought. A few tried it and said it was good, but I brought most of it home, ate what I could, and pitched the rest.

Last year, wanting something authentic to the northeast, I made Boston baked beans from scratch. Not the ordinary T-day fare, I know, but the result was excellent -- rich with brown sugar and molasses, not that ketchup-based glop that passes for baked beans nowadays. It paired really well with turkey. I thought. But, again, I brought most of it home.

OK, Thanksgiving is all about tradition and a new dish is a tough sell. I think the Pilgrims had wild game (deer, ducks) at the first Thanksgiving. Um, let's stick with the turkey. I'd like something that has to do with the northeast, or at least autumn-ripening crops. Pumpkin? We have the pie...but maybe something with toasted pumpkin seeds? Let's see...squash? Not Pilgrimmy enough. Apples are a possibility -- either as a desert or as cider. What else? Walnuts? Old-fashioned would be nice. Mincemeat pie? Something based on honey? I dunno.

Before I commit to a persimmon preserve or a paw paw pie, I thought I'd see what the capable cooks here at the Kitchen Table would suggest. Thanks in advance!