THANKSGIVING HELP REQUIRED!

goanothermile

Any help gratefully appreciated. We dont want her to feel too homesick at Thanksgiving.
Thank You

I am American who lived in Europe for several years. My extended family always got together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course, it was a normal work day for me. It was one day I dreaded every year.

You're very nice to think about that. If her family is close or has strong traditions around the holiday, it can be a tough day even for someone who is well-adjusted to their new home.

As for food... roast turkey is a must. I've done many roast turkeys. I prefer to buy fresh ones, but will get a frozen one if needed. Make sure to allow several days for it to thaw in the fridge. Exactly how many days depends on the size.

My advice - don't try roasting a turkey with stuffing inside. That is tricky and potentially dangerous if not done right. Stick to a simple recipe. A meat thermometer is really helpful to ensure it is cooked thoroughly, but not overcooked.

You should be able to get cranberry sauce pretty easily. That is traditionally served at Thanksgiving as a side for the turkey.

Pumpkin pie would be a nice touch. Tesco has the filling on their website:

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=pumpkin+pie&icid=tescohp_sws-1_pumpkin+pie

The pie is easy to make. Here is a link to some recipes:

http://libbyspumpkinpie.com/

The traditional Thanksgiving pairing with turkey is dressing and brown gravy. Honestly... I'd just skip the dressing. Dressing recipes have a lot of variations and don't suit everyone's palate. Likely to be more trouble than it is worth.

Sides are pretty flexible. As mentioned above, families have different traditions. Assuming this isn't a surprise, just ask her. My thought would be mashed potatoes, green beans, and a nice dinner roll. Perhaps a green salad, also.

Plan on shopping ahead for any unusual ingredients that will keep - pie filling, turkey, etc. My experience in Europe was that these items didn't have much stock. It made the day less stressful when you know I had the ingredients at ready.

When we did cook a big Thanksgiving in Europe, we usually did it on Saturday following the actual day. That way we could invite friends over and make an afternoon of it.

Good luck!

TeaBea

For non-food-related: bring a box of crayons to work. Take some sheets of white paper. Make everyone trace their hand and decorate it like a turkey before they are allowed to eat. This is the rule at my home before anyone gets to start with Thanksgiving dinner, and despite initial skepticism on the part of the Germans, they love it. And it's seriously the one activity that EVERYONE can do and that EVERY SINGLE PERSON who celebrated Thanksgiving as a child is familiar with. Good times.

What a great idea. I want to work at your company ;-)

^My sister in-law did this with a cream colored table cloth and sharpies. She's done it a few years here and there. It's great to see how the kids have grown. My nephew (14 now) seeing his small handprint....cute.

Ninitonkers

Thank you for all of your help and suggestions. I have noted down the recipies and will get to work on it all!