Thanksgiving

We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We did without a doubt! I can honestly say that this was my favorite, and most memorable, Thanksgiving. Jose and I cooked all day long, and the result was a totally traditional and successful Thanksgiving dinner.

For under 100 dollars, we bought everything we needed. It took research and dedication, but we did find every ingredient. There were some variations between what we usually use in the United States and what we found here, but it all worked out.

We had a 15 pound turkey, walnut stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, biscuits, peas, salad, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and Haagan Dazs vanilla ice cream. Fresh cranberries are apparently not to be found in Mexico, but we made sauce from dried cranberries that turned out exactly the same as with fresh. We used a strange kind of pumpkin, but once cooked and blended, looked the same.

Everyone was really excited about Thanksgiving, because they knew nothing more about it than it involved a turkey. All day, people were visiting us in the kitchen asking about what the pie crust was for, how to cook the turkey, and why we were blending pumpkin. Cooking in the oven isn't very common in Mexico, so they were interested in us using it. The oven doesn't have degrees marked on it, only 1,2,3,4. We couldn't figure out what that meant, so we don't know what temperature we cooked anything at. Luckily, the turkey came out moist.

I was worried that they wouldn't like the food because it is so different than what they usually eat, but dinner was a huge success. Jose and I had to serve ourselves first, because they weren't sure how to serve the food. By the time we got to the table though, everyone looked like experts. They were mixing potato, turkey, and cranberry sauce like they had done it every year of their lives. Everyone agreed the food was different, but really good. They want us to teach them how to make everything we had at that dinner, and more of our favorite foods. It was so nice to see them really enjoying the food we made and loved.

Sergio asked us if we had to pray with this meal, and we said no, but didn't tell him about saying what we are grateful for. For that, we waited until everyone was comfortable at the table and then sprung it on them. To my surprise, no one was hesitant and everyone took it seriously. Maribel and Sergio, the newlyweds, both said they were thankful for their new families. I could tell they were excited to be able to say that. Rosy, Jose's cousin, said she was thankful for the good health that every member of her family has. Irene, Jose's aunt, said she is thankful for her family and the dinner, because it was exciting for her to try a new tradition. Jose and I both said that we were thankful for having them become our family, and for giving us a loving place to stay and spend the holiday.

Dessert was also a success. The pumpkin pie turned out more like pumpkin custard or pudding in a crust, but it was extremely popular. They like the apple pie also, but not nearly as much as the pumpkin. We told them Haagan Dazs ice cream is the best there is, but it had melted on the way home and refroze with ice crystals. I think that having that be the biggest disappointment of the dinner is nothing to complain about though.

Later, Cecilia the other daughter, her boyfriend, and her father came and ate. In total, we served 9 people, and everyone liked the dinner. We have pictures from the day on my Facebook account. This was one of my best days and experiences in Mexico.

Happy holidays!
Emma