Thanksgiving Countdown - 33 days to go

For Thanksgiving this year, I'd like to streamline. Go simple. Ok, I realize that simple and Thanksgiving contradict each other. I get that the whole point of the holiday is to indulge in gluttonous extravagance. But having acknowledged that, I'd like to just serve the absolute Thanksgiving meal basics (i.e. no fruit salad or green salad), but add a soup and salad course. I like the idea because:
1. I love soup
2. I love salad
3. I love that having a soup and salad course draws out a meal and makes it a more leisurely experience
4. I love the level of elegance a soup and salad course signifies (this isn't your regular weekday night meal)
5. I'm the host so I can do what I want

So, my Thanksgiving menu so far:

appetizers (maybe cheese, maybe olives, absolutely veggies and dip made of Old English cheese, cream cheese and scallions. An old Stanley favorite. We really need a name for this dip. Does one exist? How bout fromage and scallions?

soup (I'm thinking something like cream of parsnip or butternut squash soup. It has to be cream based and light and have fall flavors.)

salad (fresh greens like raddichio, frisee and arugula with pears, toasted walnuts or pine nuts and goat cheese or blue cheese)

turkey (on the barbeque?)
stuffing
mashed potatoes
sweet potatoes
green bean casserole (this all homemade, no opening of cans required, martha stewart version is so divine)

crescent rolls

trio of canberry sauces (I have two kinds I like to make, but trio of sauces sounds so much more culinary than duo of sauces. I'll have to come up with a third kind.)

to drink: various flavors of sparkling martinelli's

More on desserts later . . . .