Me? Cook a Turkey?

So about my second week here I got this crazy idea that i would cook Thanksgiving dinner for Rob and Ellie and the kids and anyone else that wanted to come.  Crazy because my cooking skills venture to the lazy side.  I wouldn't say I'm a terrible cook, just not a very adventurous one.  

Well, Thursday came, and I still hadn't done any shopping.  I had decided on chicken, instead of turkey (because we had one in freezer), plenty of veggies, and stuffing and pumpkin pie.  My idea was packaged stuffing and canned pumpkin pie.  I had lunch plans already with a cousin in a neighboring suburb.  We were supposed to meet at this giant shopping center with a giant parking lot.  It took me 30 minutes to find parking!  I swear, you would have thought it was thanksgiving here too and everyone was on the hunt for that missing cranberry sauce!  On the way home I decided to stop at the supermarket and do my shopping.  Again, 15 minutes to find a park and when they got in the store they didn't have a THING I needed.  No pumpkin- fresh, canned or frozen (and I wasn't even actually looking for pumpkin because they don't have it here; i was looking for butternut squash which they call pumpkin.)  No stuffing of any variety.  Nothing.  I finally got home and spent an hour doing the crossword, getting up the energy to go to yet another shopping mall.  Which I did, at around 4 oclock, after calling the guests (Sadhana and Grandpa) and asking them to come a bit later than I had planned.

When I got to the store and they didn't have any stuffing or frozen/canned pumpkin and no non-dairy creamer (meat meal- wanted a non-dairy desert for the more kosher members of the family), I called Ellie ready to give up.  She convinced me to get a fresh pumpkin, dairy ingredients, and forget the instant stuffing (we'd figure it out with the ingredients we had at home).  So I did.  And I have to say, Ellie and I made a kick-ass meal.  The pumpkin pie was a little overcooked but still good (especially with the ice cream and fruit salad that Sadhana and Gpa brought.)  The stuffed chicken was delish.  Onions and potoatoes and yams all very good.  And everyone had a great time.  Thanksgiving definitely travels well to other countries...  Especially since a few days later (yesterday) I was off swimming in an ocean pool instead of putting snow tires on my cars. 

Hope all the rest of you had very happy thanksgivings! 

Lots of love,

Tamara