spanksgiving

So thanksgiving was fun.  Actually, it was the best.  Why?  Because, ladies and gentlemen, yesterday Thom and I made the most AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner of our lives.  Let me tell you--

We started off by thinking, OK, we'll make the dressings and buy a rotisserie chicken.  OK, no big deal.  Easy peasy.  We woke up early to go to an indoor market in Florence.  It was pretty cool, actually.  Produce, meat, fish, wine, cheese, the works.  But there were permanent stands, you know?  I'm pretty sure it's open every day (uhh, maybe?).  Ok, whatever, so irrelevant.  

So we went to the market where we found rotisserie chicken, buttttttttt they were tiny and we realized, hey, we're going to have a good number of guests coming over, we'd have to buy at least 7 chickens.  Then Thom was like, "why dont we just make a turkey?"  

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.  Intriguing idea, Thom.  A turkey.  I hear those are hard to make.  I hear it takes a while.  I hear Yasna's oven is not equipped to make a turkey. 

OK, lets do it.  

So...7 kilos* later, we're walking home with a turkey and bags of heavy groceries.  That was fun. 

Thom and I cooked from 1 pm until 9 pm when people started to show up.  Thom was the chef while I became his sous chef (is that what it is?  A sous chef?). 

We made a rosemary and garlic butter spread that we spread under the skin and on the turkey.  We stuffed it with this stuffing that STILL makes my mouth water--we used croutons cus we couldnt find the right bread for it, so croutons, celery, mushrooms, apples, onions, walnuts, chicken broth...am i missing anything?  I dont think so.

So turkey stuffed with stuffing.

garlic mashed potatoes.

macaroni and cheese (kraft--did i tell you i bought yasna about 20 boxes of mac and cheese before i came?) 

green beans 

corn and peas

carrots 

and for dessert... HEAVEN.  Thom made the best tiramisu I've ever had.  

MORDAM.  

A bunch of Yasna's friends came over and we had a giant feast.  I almost cried, actually, because you guys, this turkey.  THIS TURKEY.  I can't believe the first turkey we ever made turned out as amazing as it did.  i mean, it was PERFECT.  It was moist and OH, when Thom tried to carve the leg, the meat was so tender that the meat just came off the bone.  Yani, he pulled the bone out and it was just clean.  It was sooooooooo cool.   Sigh.  

We put so much time and love into the meal and it showed.  It showed because the food was amazing.  

AKH JOON.  I wish it was last night again.

Actually, yeah I really wish it was last night.  I really wish it was last week.  This week is going by wayyyy too fast.  I can't believe that I'm leaving on sunday.  I'm really dreading it.  I'm having a blast.  I love being here.  Sigh.  

Thom and Yasna are in the kitchen now cleaning and making dinner and I'm just filled with immense amounts of love.  I should go help them actually, but I mean, they seem to have it under control.  

See this is what I'm talking about.  This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.  This sort of happiness.  This bliss.  I just keep sighing.  And smiling.  I keep walking down the street smiling.  Yasna keeps asking, "why are you smiling?" 

and I'm like, I dont know, I just think about being here and I smile.

And she laughs.

And I say, would you prefer I frowned?

And she says no.  

So I smile. 

:)