I am actually at a point in my life when big family feasts take place elsewhere. My children are in their own houses, and their children (my grandchildren) want events to happen at their own homes.

When they are in middle school, high school and college, grandchildren are more interested in their own weekends than ours. I can remember coming home from my first Thanksgiving in my freshman year of college and going out that night to find our friends from high school.

Also, I am now in a condo. Hosting 20 for dinner (and many staying over the weekend) isn’t possible. My kids are also pretty far away for a midweek holiday: two daughters and one son are in California while the other son and his wife are divorcing, amicably enough, but things do change.

This year I will pick up my friend Elise Maclay in Westport and we will drive to Chappaqua for dinner with my friends Lisa and Eric. Their two sons (one a freshman in college and the other in high school) will be there, as well as Lisa’s best friend and her two young sons.

I am making two or three pies and a side dish or two. Maybe even a soup instead of a side.

Lisa, who is incredibly well organized, said she will just get a 20-pound turkey instead of a twenty-five. I didn’t suggest, instead, that she might think about a 15- or 16-pound bird. Why? Because I desperately want leftovers.

I love late-night sandwiches, turkey casseroles and, best of all, chunks of turkey for my Dagwood salads: lettuces, grape tomatoes, slices of beets, chunks of cucumber, Craisins, granola, toasted sliced coconut and just a few tablespoons of dressing. And, of course, turkey tetrazzini.

Turkey Tetrazzini

From Saveur Cooks Authentic American by the editors of Saveur Magazine (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1998)

Yield: Serves 6

1/2 pound wide egg noodles

8 tablespoons butter, divided (1 stick)

1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced

5 tablespoons flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups turkey or chicken stock (low-sodium, if using canned)

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup dry sherry

3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Fresh parsley (optional)

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add noodles and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, then transfer to a medium baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoons butter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Scatter mushrooms over noodles.

Reduce heat to medium-low and melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Sprinkle in flour, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium, gradually whisk in stock and simmer until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Add cream, sherry and turkey, then adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spoon turkey and sauce over noodles, then sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake until sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Heat broiler and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if you like.