I dealt with my first bout of homesickness this past weekend. I haven’t really felt incredibly homesick since my arrival in London, but this past weekend I was Skyping with my mom, dad and sister as they were preparing some Thanksgiving deliciousness in the kitchen. My mom was dressed in full Betty Crocker garb, food processor whirring, showing me her homemade dough for pie making… for the first time, I felt really homesick. I have never spent the holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas) apart from my family and this year will mark the first time in my entire 23 years of existence that I have to be without them. Normally, I head over to my parents first thing in the morning on Thanksgiving day to begin food prep with the ladies while the guys chit chat, set the table and prepare for football (stereotypical… I know!) This year, I’ll be living in a community that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving so I, of course, have decided to bring Thanksgiving to the UK! My friend Aaron and I have organized a Thanksgiving event involving loads of Americans (and some Europeans) who want to get together to celebrate the holidays!
{This totally captures our Thanksgiving mornings: PJs in the kitchen preparing deliciousness!}
We have reserved our dining hall and are planning on decorating a bit to get everyone in the Thanksgiving spirit! Since there are quite a few of us (30 – 40 possibly), we’re making it a potluck wherein everyone gets to bring their most favorite Thanksgiving dish to share! I’m bringing sweet potatoes – my favorite food in the world! – and Aaron is going to be attempting a Turbaducken (duck inside of a chicken inside of a turkey with bacon between each layer… clearly anti-vegetarian.) Although I don’t get to see my family, it should be a blast having everyone get together, bringing their favorite homemade dishes plus introducing a bunch of internationals (we have people from Germany, Thailand, China, France, Italy, etc.) to a bit of American culture!
We’ve requested that our bar be open for the evening, but we can’t bring our own drinks to the actual dining hall, so I’m thinking about bringing a vat of spiced cider to get everyone into the holiday spirit. I love the holidays!!
Here are some delicious Thanksgiving recipes for anyone looking for some new deliciousness this year:
Hot Spiced Cider: Mmmmm…. such a delicious holiday drink!
Turducken: A cool endeavor for a chef that needs a challenge! Not for the faint of heart!
Pumpkin Cheesecake: If pumpkin pie didn’t have enough calories for you in the first place, why not make it a cheesecake? I made mini pumpkin cheesecakes for Chris’ birthday last year and they were a hit! Really delish!
Candied Yams: I don’t think sweet potatoes need any dressing up, but if you like marshmallows and butter, this is ahh-mazing!
Is anyone else excited for Thanksgiving?!
PS. Miss you mom, dad, nana, punk & Tiffy!
The Traveling Scholar 