I admit, until last year Thanksgiving for me just meant just two days of relief at work because nobody from US would have sent mails or placed calls. All meetings cancelled. Everybody disappeared. Only out of office message until Friday. So, kind of holidays for European too.
This year of coarse was a little bit different. My oldest son started drawing turkeys at school two weeks ago, then he came home with the story of the origin of the Thanksgiving and then difference between peregrines and modern people and so on… So I realized we were now more part of this new world so why don’t celebrate it? Thanksgiving is a family celebration. Of course our parents are far far away but we invited some friends eating at the same table and spending time together enjoying the day off.
Lilach and Itzik are two good friends we have here in Seattle. They are from Israel and she is a very good cooker. Our idea was to cook with the traditional ingredients of the Thanksgiving but with our personal style. Speaking with other moms I found out that Thanksgiving meant not only turkey but also pumpkin, green beans, yams, cranberries, mash potatoes,Brussels sprouts. They explained me the difference between dressing and stuffing and how to do a perfect and delicious gravy.
Lilach and myself decided the menu: pumpkin gnocchi, boneless breast turkey with stuffing and gravy, mash potatoes, garlic green beans, yams, Brussels sprouts, aioli and cranberries sauce, pecan pie and apple pie. She would have done yams, cranberries sauce, Brussels sprouts and pecan pie. Myself the rest.
I enjoyed cooking and all the stuff but this day was also special because lots of friends from Italy and around the world got in touch with me wishing Happy Thanksgiving and chatting all morning long. Despite very far from home I could share my enthusiasm and my feelings of this special day with all people I love making photograph and typing as soon as I heard a bip.
At the end I was late in preparing lunch and hope my friends didn’t mind. I totally enjoyed the morning first and the lunch with friend and my family after. Yes, it was a very nice and relaxing first Thanksgiving.