Thanksgiving Dinner

We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday evening instead of the traditional Thursday since it isn't a holiday here in China. Our guests were friends from the Portman (our residence for the first two years) Dorsey and Joel and their two girls Lily and JoJo and new friends Christi and Tom (new to China) and their two girls Sophie and Janie. Morgan, JoJo, and Janie are all about the same age, within a few weeks, as are Lily and Sophie, so it was all set to be a great time for the kids. Unfortunately, with Morgan having bronchitis, we had to banish her to the 2nd floor with her ayi, Cathy, as soon as guests arrived. So, instead of having fun with the other kids, Morgan watched Dora and Barney in mommy's room all night. :-( However, with ayi Runa to watch the other kids so moms and dads could eat and socialize, I still think everyone had fun.

We ordered our 16 lb. turkey from Bubba's, owned by a Texan, which specializes in slow roasted pulled pork and ribs. This year he offered to do smoked turkeys for 700 RMB (roughly $100) - and hands down, it was the best $100 we've spent in a while. The turkey was absolutely fantastic - delicious, juicy inside with a spicy, crusty skin. Actually, it was probably too spicy for me - I got a small bite on accident and had to down a glass of water to ease my suffering mouth. We had mashed potatoes, roasted garlic green beans, and the stove top stuffing wasn't too bad! Unfortunately, our attempt at instant gravy was a bust, but it was pretty much the only casualty of the night. Dorsey contributed sweet potatoe casserole that had the best topping - I must have that recipe - and homemade pumpkin pie - YUM! Christi brought a salad, brownies (yum- a new must have for Thanksgiving - well, anytime, really), and a delicious apple pie from our favorite French bakery in town, Pauls. We had lots of wine and too much food - can a Thanksgiving really get better than that?

Thanks Christi and Dorsey for helping to make our Thanksgiving feel like home!