Last week, Lee says "I will cook the turkey." Kiwis don't really "do" turkeys until Christmas seeing as how they don't really have Thanksgiving. Another complication is that it is spring/summer here so your typical Thanksgiving side dishes aren't always available - as in, no brussel sprouts... think strawberry season... And! no jellied cranberry sauce in the can.... thank goodness :)
All that being said, we found a 3.5 kilo turkey and made some quick substitutions on the fly for side dishes but kept the traditional sweet potato casserole, stuffing/dressing, and cranberry sauce. Lee dry brined the turkey for a few days and did a secret under the skin spice rub that I'm pretty sure had some Szechuan peppercorns in it.
What is Thanksgiving without some good college football? We waited until today to have turkey day so that we could watch the UF vs FSU game which came on at 9:00am here. It's becoming a Sunday morning tradition for Lee and Beau to get up for ESPN Gameday and then the UF game every Sunday.
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| beau gators! |
Our fellow ex-pat friend, Carlton, came over for the football and feast. Unfortunately for him, he is (was) a FSU fan! Great come behind win for the Gators today. Even our GT Yellowjacket nephew (sorry for your loss Ty!) got behind the Gators!
Dinner was nice to have with friends here, but we miss our family and state-side friends!! Hope more of you can come for a visit in the near future....
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| turkey day table |
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| fellow ex-pat carlton |
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| lee requested traditional sweet potato souffle - marshmallow and all.... |
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| perfectly juicy turkey |
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| just a little snack for me! |
Dessert - had to be pumpkin pie! Homemade crust and everything.... brandy whipped cream on top.
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| yum-kin pie |
Aftermath....
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| and then there is always these.... |
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| tryptophan doesn't seem to impact ella... |
