Happy Thanksgiving

In a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and for someone who had never cooked a turkey solo, we really knocked it out of the park this year with TWO Thanksgiving celebrations.

The kids helping make cinnamon rolls with leftover
pie dough

The past two years we have traveled during this holiday.  Marty gets the week off and the kids have Thursday and Friday off each year.  It is not a German or European holiday so no one else is typically traveling and we can get some pretty sweet deals on travel.  Our first year we were hosted in England by our wonderful friends, the Kitcheners.

No rolling pin -
no problem!

The second year we went on a fabulous 5 day/4 night trip to Mallorca.  For me, it is the hardest holiday to be away from "home" and extended family.  It is one of my favorite holidays mostly because there is no gift expectation, it is just about food and friends and family.  Not to mention, Liz, Marty's sister, has hosted us and does ALL the work each year.  So I'm completely spoiled by a fabulous dinner.  And/or my sister or mom has hosted.  So it is a complete luxury to show up for a delicious meal (or meals - some years we were able to do a double Thanksgiving.  One meal with Marty's family and one meal with mine)

Cinnamon rolls just like my mom used to make with the leftover dough

And typically after the delicious meal we were sent home with leftovers for another meal or two or three.  So, the thought of making a meal for just my family of 4 - two of which are vegetarians, with none of them 'really' appreciating all the extra effort a meal like Thanksgiving takes didn't sound so good.

The rest of my family is burnt out on traveling.  It may have something to do with the fact that during our first two years here we went somewhere by plane or train just about once a month. We really hit it hard partly because I LOVE to travel and partly because we thought we would only be here for one or two years.  Now, they just want to stay home.  Marty included but that is partly due to the fact that he has to take two return trips home to Seattle pure year and being 6 foot 5 he has grown to hate the actual flying part.
Anyway, I was pretty upset that no one but me wanted to get away for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Our good friend, Juli, asked if we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  Well, that sounded better and then I thought let's make it big.  Thanksgiving should be a BIG feast shared with family and friends so we invited our good friends Anja and Kyle (who couldn't make it) and our good friend, Corey and her two kids.

As it turns out Corey had just committed to hosting a few of her German friends to show them what Thanksgiving is all about. We decided the more the merrier and we all (17 of us) met here to celebrate.  Juli and I each cooked a turkey and then we split of the sides and desserts between the 3 of us.
It turned out perfectly.  The food was delicious, the company was great and we all left happy, full and thankful.  I still missed my family terribly.  They all got together for the first time in many years for the holiday at my sister, Kim's.  It doesn't make me as homesick when I know they are each doing their own thing for the holiday.  But when they are all together and we are so far away, it stinks.

However, in the future, whether we travel or not on this holiday I now know I can 1) make a turkey on my own and 2) have a very happy Thanksgiving hosting in my own home.