Last year, I celebrated Thanksgiving actually on Thanksgiving with my group at my old flat. This year, since we could no longer have it at my old flat, and because of the difficulty of preparing a feast for 25 while working during the day, our group decided to do Thanksgiving on the weekend. (Which we'll celebrate tomorrow!)
I still wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving, so I decided to invite some of my non-work Swiss friends over for a mini-Thanksgiving. Stefanie, my former flatmate, helped do a lot of the cooking. Jasmine and Stefano, who also were flatmates at one point, and Petra, my tandem partner, were the others who came to Thanksgiving. For all of them except Stefanie, this was their first Thanksgiving!
I made a pecan pie and prepared the sweet potatoes the night before, and then the day of, I roasted a chicken, made mashed potatoes and gravy (the first time I've made gravy on my own!), and baked the sweet potatoes. Stefanie brought the stuffing and green bean hotdish, as well as a French Silk pie.
Side note: I went to my local Coop to get a chicken, and the biggest one I could find was just under 1 kg! It was such a small chicken! I love how hard it is here to find big meat...
Anyways, we had a truly lovely meal. (I was having such a good time I totally forgot to take pictures, so sorry for the dearth of photos...) If I can't be home with my family, I'm really happy to spend Thanksgiving with friends, especially if I can introduce them to the wonder of sweet potatoes, which are a novelty here. In fact, in the grocery stores, sweet potatoes are not located by the potatoes, but in the exotics section by avocados, passion fruits, and fresh ginger!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really appreciate the time to think about what I am thankful for and to spend time with people that I care about. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am happy for the reminder to celebrate this! I hope that you all (at least those who celebrate Thanksgiving) had a special day as well!
I still wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving, so I decided to invite some of my non-work Swiss friends over for a mini-Thanksgiving. Stefanie, my former flatmate, helped do a lot of the cooking. Jasmine and Stefano, who also were flatmates at one point, and Petra, my tandem partner, were the others who came to Thanksgiving. For all of them except Stefanie, this was their first Thanksgiving!
I made a pecan pie and prepared the sweet potatoes the night before, and then the day of, I roasted a chicken, made mashed potatoes and gravy (the first time I've made gravy on my own!), and baked the sweet potatoes. Stefanie brought the stuffing and green bean hotdish, as well as a French Silk pie.
Side note: I went to my local Coop to get a chicken, and the biggest one I could find was just under 1 kg! It was such a small chicken! I love how hard it is here to find big meat...
Anyways, we had a truly lovely meal. (I was having such a good time I totally forgot to take pictures, so sorry for the dearth of photos...) If I can't be home with my family, I'm really happy to spend Thanksgiving with friends, especially if I can introduce them to the wonder of sweet potatoes, which are a novelty here. In fact, in the grocery stores, sweet potatoes are not located by the potatoes, but in the exotics section by avocados, passion fruits, and fresh ginger!
 |
| The little chicken! |
 |
| Prepped for roasting! |
 |
| The feast! |
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really appreciate the time to think about what I am thankful for and to spend time with people that I care about. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am happy for the reminder to celebrate this! I hope that you all (at least those who celebrate Thanksgiving) had a special day as well!
