Thanksgiving recap

I know that Thanksgiving feels like forever ago, especially with Christmas just around the corner but I wanted to share a tidbit of our celebration here in France.

This was the 2nd year that I prepared a full Thanksgiving meal and it was a success. While I love to cook and bake, for the big holidays back home I often brought one of the simple items needed, like buns! So to be responsible for the FULL meal is a new role for me!!!

The menu:
Turkey
Mashed potatoes and gravy
stuffing
Green bean casserole
Baguettes (from the bakery)
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie

So to most of you back home this seems like a simple menu without much difficulty to execute! Oh so not the case! The first obstacle is to find all of the ingredients! Thankfully prior to returning to France this fall I had a light bulb moment in which I remembered how difficult it was to find ingredients last year. So, thanks to my grandma I returned to France with some of the basic essentials: canned pumpkin, cream of mushroom soup, and stuffing mix.
In spite of having these ingredients, I still had to make a trip to the American store to get a cooking bag for the turkey and also picked up one of the 1-time-use thermometers. To give you a point of reference, had I needed to buy pumpkin or other items, you can guarantee multiplying the cost by about 5 of what you pay for it in the states.
Now for the turkey...last year we learned how difficult it can be to secure a full turkey. Yes turkeys exist in France but they are a typical item for Christmas so to request one a month in advance is not the norm! Thankfully James took care of this and was able to order the turkey from the same store as last year. The cost 50 Euros for 10kg (which is about $70 for 20 pounds). The other interesting factor for the turkey both years is the question of will it fit in the oven?! The answer has been yes, both years, but just barely!

Comparing size and ready to dig in!

The rest of the preparation went great! The pies and side dishes turned out well! Everyone reports enjoying the meal and there were few leftovers remaining, which is a very good sign!

I of course would love to celebrate this holiday in the US and enjoy having the days off of work to share with family, but I am very grateful that my family here in France joins in my excitement and helps me to celebrate the American holiday!