I am going to start this post off with some recipes because I am SUPER excited right now. So the back story is: we wanted a real Thanksgiving dinner in Turkey. Unfortunately, things like canned cranberry sauce or corn syrup (for the pumpkin pie!) just don’t exist. So first came the cranberry sauce…
Cook on low heat until everything squishes together nicely. What did I use to squish them? A ravioli cutter (yes I have a ravioli cutter in Turkey!) but you could also use a potato masher.
Seriously, this recipe turned out fantastically. It was jelly-esque (as compared to the last time I tried to make cranberry sauce where it turned out soupy) and tasted AWESOME and had no added sugar. I was ecstatic!
Then came the pumpkin pie.
The crust was:
I cut the butter into the flour using the ravioli cutter, and then added the water 1 tbl at a time to make the dough. Rolled it out and it was awesome! I could have rolled it out a bit thinner (remember, pie crusts shrink in the oven! also, remember to use pie weights to hold it down — this will help the shrinkage as well!) but it was yummy anyway.
For the filling:
Mix in the top of a double boiler and cook over, (not in!) hot water until thick:
3 slightly beaten eggs
Cool slightly and add:
Seriously, I don’t usually love pumpkin pie but this was phenomenal. I am going to make another one this week just to make sure it wasn’t a huge fluke! Haha
I also made two chickens and chicken gravy, Angela made stuffing and mashed potatoes, and Micky made green beans and Danish wedding cookies. Really, it could not have been yummier or more fun. Exhausting, but that’s what Thanksgiving is all about — cooking and cooking and cooking and then eating and crashing! Yum! I love Thanksgiving and I’m so glad this one turned out better than the one in England (oops). I’ve already told Neil I’m making another pie when I get to England to make up for my disastrous one from last time.
That was Friday. Thursday was a holiday called Teacher’s Day in Turkey which is a significantly bigger holiday than its American counterpart. Instead of a measly apple from the brown-nosing student and the rest of the students scratching their bellies saying “Oh, it’s Teacher’s Day?”, Teacher’s Day in Turkey is filled with cakes, presents, and celebrations galore. Wednesday night, one of Angela’s classes had a cake, and they invited me to join. On Thursday, all of the students wished us a Happy Teacher’s day, and Angela and Micky both got gifts from their adult students. At school, kids sing songs and recite poems for their teachers to tell them how much they love and appreciate them. Thursday night, English Home rented out a table in a hotel and we had a huge, multiple-course dinner followed by hours of dancing. There was even entertainment — a belly dancer! She wasn’t very good, but it was funny anyway. Micky and I still want to take oriental dance classes here.
All in all, November 24th and 25th, 2011 were great days and I am very thankful to have had those experiences. Additionally, I’d like to mention that I am so thankful for everyone in my life: family, boyfriend, friends, co-workers — everyone I know is so special and I am so lucky to be in the place I am now. I love you all!
Next week: Istanbul with Kelly, one of my best friends from middle school and high school! Should be a blast and I cannot wait! And then the following week… (drumroll please) MOMMY T COMES TO TURKEY!!!! Woooooo!!!! Lots of exciting things coming up!!!
Eat dessert first. 