Our Guest List-Fatima, Paula, José, Inma, Marta, Lucía, María, Raquel, Julio, their parents, Elena, Tyler and his parents, Andrea, Megan and her brother and sister, Michelle and her sister and parents, Sara, Caitlyn, and Cody and his parents. Counting us, that made 33 people for Thanksgiving dinner. Fatima ordered the turkey and mashed potatoes from her favorite restaurant. I made 3 pumpkin pies and two cheesecakes at Inma's house on Tuesday. We had a really great time chatting while we mixed the ingredients and tried to figure out her oven. I was worried that the pies would end up tasting like smoke because even though she'd have a puff outside on the terrace, the cigarette smoke kept blowing into the house. We drove to my house because I needed help with all the pies and ingredients. I didn't know that Collin was in the house and he didn't make himself known. We brought up one batch of pies and then went down to the garage and returned with another. When I walked back in, I noticed that the light in the boys' room was on so I went in and turned it off. Like a murderer in a scary movie, Collin slid out from behind the closet door. I didn't scream or say anything and neither did he. I figured that he didn't want to talk to Inma because he was wearing sweats. Later, we had a long laugh about it.
I went to Rebecca's house to make the apple pies. She and Juan Carlos helped me peel apples. I used her food processor to make the crust. It was SO much easier to make the crust her robot de cocina instead of using two knives to cut the butter into the flour like I did the two other times I made apple pies here. They turned out pretty good, but had a slightly smoky flavor from the juice dripping down from the pies and burning on the bottom of the oven. Rebecca made me tomato toast on some really good bread she bought from a store nearby which inspired me to fire our bread man. After all, he only brings around three types of bread and our family only likes one type. So we've had the same kind of bread every day except Sundays for 5 months. I had stopped eating it and so then we would be left with half a loaf of old bread every day which I didn't want to waste. For awhile I was making French toast every week just to use up the old bread. I also used a week's worth of old bread for the stuffing for Thanksgiving which turned out perfect using Dawn and Nathan Gee's recipe minus the sausage and turkey drippings.
Back to Rebecca's house. She had never made pastry before and it was really fun to teach her. Her husband was more worried about the pies turning out just right than I was and kept check on the pies and trying to get me to change the temperature. The kitchen got so smokey from the burning apple juice that every time we opened up the oven, the kitchen would fill with smoke and we would all have to go outside to recuperate. We had all the windows open, and since they live right next to the mountains, all the flies in the area came into the kitchen to have a little look see. I am not exaggerating when I say that there were at least 20 flies in the kitchen. I was only halfway done with the pies when the time came for me to pick up the kids from school so I had to call Collin to get him to pick them up for me. Juan Carlos made a yummy red cabbage salad with garlic and olive oil and sherry vinegar and a disgusting ham and bean dish that Rebecca refused to eat after one bite. I did my darndest, but I couldn't finish it either. I don't think it was his fault. He bought it in the freezer section and the ham was as hard as jerky and there was a very bitter flavor to the whole thing and the beans were mushy. Instead, Rebecca served up some almond and artichoke soup which I really liked. She complained that he had left all the hard leaves in, but I felt like hey at least he cooks at all. We all had a piece of pie and then Rebecca took me home.
On the actual day of the feast, Emma brought home a poster that she and her friends had made in Civics class. Rocío couldn't come to the actual feast because she had a conference she had to go to. She came over and helped me whip some cream while I washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. I promised her I'd bring her over some food the next day. Cody and his parents showed up a little early and I was still getting dressed. All the guests brought something: wine, chocolates, pastries or candy or all of the above.
I tried (twice) to make the same candied yams that Barbara and April have made before, but the first time they turned out too hard (according to Elena who was giving the kids their Spanish lesson while I was making them.) The second time they turned out too soft. I ended up pureeing them and mixing in some egg and milk to make a souffle. I topped one half with marshmallows and the other half with walnuts and brown sugar and then baked it. I got tons of complements on it and think I'll make it again next year. Collin told me not to make them because he didn't think they would get eaten, but there was only about 1 tablespoon left in the dish. The salad I invented was a hit: spinach, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, shaved Pecorino cheese topped with a balsamic reduction. There wasn't a leaf left of that salad. I never did solve the mystery of the missing Pecorino cheese I bought at Carrefour. I was sure that I bought it, but when it came time for me to use it, I couldn't find it anywhere. I took everything out of the fridge to look for it and even looked in the car in case it fell out of the bag. I ended up having to buy a new one Thursday morning. I think we ordered too much turkey. Elena said she was a little disillusioned that we didn't have a whole turkey, but there was no way I was going to try and make one in the oven we have here. Plus, I have never made one before and am terrified to try. Meat is NOT my strong suit. We didn't order enough mashed potatoes. No one touched the gravy from the restaurant, but all the roasted garlic gravy I made was gone from the serving dish. I got the recipe for the stock and gravy from Epicurious. I ended up making a really yummy turkey pot pie with the remaining stock vegetables, leftover gravy and turkey. All I really had to do was whip up a quick pie crust for the top and stick it in the oven. We ended up with a lot of leftover desserts, I think because people were so full from dinner and the guests had brought so many sweets with them.
Notes for next time:
Order half the amount of turkey
Double the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes
We need way more wine glasses, silverware, and dishes (Bucknell, I'm talking to you! We ran out of everything and people were drinking wine out of tea cups and coffee mugs and I had to wash a bunch of silverware even though we had bought plastic stuff to supplement what we already had.)
Change the stove and oven so I don't have to go over to friends' houses to bake stuff
Make half the amount of desserts
Buy way more soft drinks and mosto
Buy better plastic cups and have a permanent marker nearby
Plan a few activities for the kids to do on their own
Have a better explanation of why we celebrate Thanksgiving for our Spanish guests
Invite the kids' teachers as well as the principal and director of the school
I was a little worried that the English-Spanish barrier would be a problem, but there were enough people that could speak both languages to translate for those who couldn't understand. Cody's dad was talking a mile a minute to our downstairs neighbors, the husband spoke English, but the wife didn't. It was strange to talk to Fatima and Elena in English because usually we speak to each other in Spanish. All the parents and siblings of the students were super nice and friendly. I think everyone had a good time. Collin had a slideshow playing on his laptop of some of the best pictures we've taken over the semester with some music.
Emma and all the girls were playing in her room and Emma was getting a little pushed out of shape because her room was clean before and of course with Raquel, Lucia, Marta, Emma and Paula all playing in there, it didn't stay that way. Plus the boys kept trying to get in and play with the girls who wanted to be alone. Finally, the boys played Legos with Julio and then Castle Keep with Julio and after he left, Megan's brother. Paula was SO cute! She gave Collin a kiss and left either snot or food on his face which he didn't know about until after everyone had left.
I spent most of the time talking to Cody's parents, Cody, Elena and Fatima. I also spent a lot of time with Inma, Jose and Maria. There was a really funny moment when Cody's parents, Cody, Fatima, Elena and I were talking. Cody and I were talking to each other in Spanish for what seemed like a very long time. All of the sudden, I said, "I don't know why we're talking to each other in Spanish when everyone here speaks English, including us!" I guess we were both so used to speaking in Spanish that it just seemed like the natural choice at the time. Another funny moment was when Emma made a paper turkey for Elena that had Happy Thanksgiving written on it. Cody's dad told her that she had to put it on the refrigerator because it tradition (in English). Elena said, "I don't know what you just said, but I'll do it!"
I was exhausted by the time everyone left, but I made myself at least put food away and clear up our little kitchen table so we'd have somewhere to eat in the morning. I also packed up leftovers to share with Rocio, Flor, Rebecca and Juan Carlos.
Concha had cleaned the day of Thanksgiving and then came over the day after to clean. Emma wrote her a nice card decorated with glitter glue thanking her for all her hard work. I really appreciated it too. Collin and I were both satisfied with how everything turned out. I was a little bummed that none of the families from church could come and neither could Rocio, Flor or Rebecca and Juan Carlos, but we had a pretty full house anyway.
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