The Holidays are Here!

I am sure you are curious about how my very ambitious Thanksgiving feast turned out. I am happy to report that after two days of non-stop cooking, all of my dishes turned out great. My turkey was done on time and came out moist and tender, my apple pie was the perfect amount of sweet and tart, my homemade cranberry sauce was just the right consistency, basically everything came out exactly the way I wanted it to and my in-laws really enjoyed the meal. At first they were a bit reluctant to try things they weren't familiar with. The English are not very adventurous when it comes to food, and even things that they could identify the contents of they were skeptical to try but as some would try a bit of one thing and tell the next person that is was good they started to get a bit bolder and at least tried pretty much everything. The biggest hits of the meal were definitely the "party potatoes" which we went through two large casseroles of and the apple pie and apple cranberry turnovers. I boiled two sacks of potatoes, probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 medium sized potatoes, and every last bit of them went. I am so proud of myself that my first big meal was a success. I have never made so many dishes for so many people and there were no catastrophes.

The feast

The dessert spread: apple cranberry turnovers, apple pie and pecan pie

There were a few changes to the meal from what I posted last week. Sadly I was unable to find a baking pumpkin so there was no pumpkin pie which was a big let down since I really wanted everyone to try it. Instead of pumpkin pie I made pecan pie which I thought was equally traditional but also it was equally foreign to them. Some of them really loved it and for some it was just too sweet but its also a dessert that is too sweet for many Americans and the ones who didn't care for the pecan pie really loved the apple pie and the turnovers.

I was also unable to find poppy seeds so instead of lemon poppy seed bread I just made lemon bread but it was still a hit and there wasn't even a crumb left at the end of the night.

The only other small hitch was that the cream of mushroom soup I used for the green bean casserole didn't have a lot of flavor. Next year I will have to look for a better brand or bring some over from the States. I already have a list of some canned ingredients I will want to bring back with me in my suitcase on my next trip back home.

Another wonderful thing that happened for my Thanksgiving meal was that I wasn't the only American there. My former roommate and maid of honor Christine was vacationing in Madrid this week and her vacation took an unfortunate turn for the worst so in order to salvage the rest of her vacation she bought a very last minute ticket from Madrid to Newcastle and arrived on Saturday afternoon. It was so wonderful to have her here, even if it was just for a couple days.

Yesterday afternoon Jason and I took her to the nearby city of Durham. Durham is a very charming city which looks like it was ripped from the pages of a Dickens' novel. The winding cobble-stoned streets and picturesque town square make for one of the most whimsical places in England.

Christine and me on a street in Durham

The main attraction in Durham is the cathedral, built in 1093 and completed in 40 years it is one of the only remaining Norman cathedrals in England to retain most of its Norman craftsmanship. Most of the great cathedrals in England like York Minster and Salisbury feature Gothic architecture and in many ways if you have seen one you have seen them all. Durham's unique Norman style is more open and in my opinion creates an almost angelic effect.

Durham Cathedral is also a place of great political and military significance in the North of England. One of the most fascinating periods in Durham Cathedral's history was during the 17th century when Cromwell closed down the cathedral and used it to imprison roughly 3,000 Scottish prisoners of war during the civil war between England and Scotland. The prisoners were kept in very inhumane conditions and they also ransacked the tombs of the cathedral, beheading and dismembering all of the sculptures. Today you can still see some of the older tombs topped with nothing more than a rough stone torso as a reminder of this dark period in the cathedral's history. Most of the 3,000 Scottish prisoners died there and their bodies were dumped in a mass unmarked grave which wasn't discovered until 1993.

Despite this dark period, Durham Cathedral is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and it is a place I will most likely visit over and over again in my lifetime.

The cathedral from the outside

The sanctuary

The rose window as viewed from St. Cuthbert's Shrine

Jason and I also decorated for Christmas this week but I will post those photos in my blog next Monday. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!