We're having Thanksgiving dinner this year. Why? Good question. It's obviously not a Swedish holiday, that anyone here observes. At all. Most people have no idea that it even exists, or for that matter, what it consists of. But I *do* know, at least vaguely. I realise that it was, technically, Thanksgiving day yesterday, but a large dinner in the middle of the week didn't fit with my schedule.
So. Sunday it is. Invited: my parents, my sister Åsa and her fiance Peter (who happens to be one of the best sushi chefs in Sweden), my sister Silvi and her daughter Malin, my brother Arno and his almost-daughter Emmy. And my own darling Per of course. Ten people. That's really, really stretching my capacity. Thank goodness there's a decent pizza place just a little bit from here.
Anyway. I'm relying largely on Nigella's latest cookbook, Feast. That may be a little bit dumb, considering she's not American. But then again, neither am I, so that's ok. I'm cooking a turkey, for the first time ever. It's huge. I wonder if it'll fit in my oven? Time will tell. I'm making cornbread-orange stuffing (the original recipe included cranberries too), green bean casserole with lemon, sweet potato gratin with mini-marshmallows (this is so tacky, but I thought it'd be fun to do something that at least I feel is SO American), roast potatoes (which I realise the pilgrims certainly didn't eat), gravy, cranberry sauce (actually lingonberry sauce, close enough) and.. yeah, I think that's it. I might make some extra cornbread muffins. Possibly a simple salad, too.
For dessert, I'm making a frozen cheesecake, flavored with lingonberries and cinnamon. It's a family favorite, and from a much-loved recipe, so I don't worry about that at all. The rest? Well, we'll see how well it all turns out :)
Bravo, Anne. It's fun to explore foreign traditions. Thanksgiving is daunting to most American cooks, and way too much food is always prepared. There is no one "right" way to celebrate Thanksgiving, every region and family seems to have their own traditions. You may have inadvertly started your own.
ReplyDelete(P.S. I've enjoyed reading your blog since you posted a comment in Chocolate and Zuccini announcing you've started your own)
Rick - in California
Thanks Rick, it's so much fun to see that someone actually reads what I write! :) The meal turned out just fine, I'm writing a full post on it soon! It was indeed less of a hassle than I thought it would be, but it of course took quite some planning. We didn't end up with tons of leftovers, but we have enough to make a turkey pot pie tonight. Mmm!
ReplyDeleteHey Anne! I'm not sure if you saw my comment in your pepparkakor post, but I found you through a google search for a good pepparkakor recipe. I love that you made the sweet potato and marshmallow thing for your feast. My family never made that but it is a typical Thanksgiving comfort food. Just like the string bean caserole made with mushroom soup. Tacky but delish.
ReplyDeleteWhat did your family think about celebrating Thanksgiving?
Hi Amylou! Glad the Pepparkakor recipe can be of help! It's a very good one - seems to make very traditional cookies. They taste "just right"!
ReplyDeleteMy family loved thanksgiving, and I bet they want it to be a new tradition for us. We'll see how much I feel like cooking next time it rolls around - chances are pretty good I'll do a repeat. Maybe minus the sweet potato/marshmallow thing though! It was fine, but.. well, mostly for the novelty of it. I'll have to do string beans in mushroom soup though - got a recipe for that? It sounds surprisingly good!