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!

Two Thanksgivings

It is currently 4°C which is about 39°F and when I woke up this morning there was actually a layer of snow on the ground! I had been told that even when it does snow it usually doesn't accumulate down by the sea because there is too much salt in the air and on the ground, so I suppose this is some kind of miracle.



So, what do you think adventurous Hartepooligans do when it is nearly freezing and there is a blanket of snow on the ground? They surf of course!




There are currently about 7 surfers out there, I see them out often and I suppose the water is frigid year round and they wear wet suits, but their heads are still uncovered and with the air as cold as it is, they must be certifiably crazy.

This week I will be cooking two, thats right, TWO Thanksgiving meals. Thursday night I am making a small non-traditional meal for Jason and me and then on Saturday I am cooking for 12 people at my mother-in-law's. People in England obviously don't get work off for Thanksgiving, so that is why we are doing it on Saturday. I am really grateful to my in laws for coming together to celebrate a holiday which commemorates Puritans leaving their country to escape religious persecution. I know they are all doing it to be supportive of me and it means a lot to me. I don't actually think they know what Thanksgiving is all about but its a good opportunity for everyone to get together for a nice big meal to kick off the holiday season.

So, for my small dinner on Thanksgiving day I am making a recipe of Ellie Krieger's, Turkey Roulade with Cider Gravy. It kind of combines all of the Thanksgiving staples into one dish and it looks amazing. I will probably make mashed potatoes because Jason can never get enough mashed potatoes and probably pick up a pie or cheesecake for dessert.

On Saturday, I am pulling out all the stops and cooking most of the traditional dishes. This will be my first time cooking a big meal for so many people and I hope my meal doesn't crash and burn. I will be planning for it all week, I have already started organizing my recipes and typing out a grocery list categorized by supermarket section. I think if I get as much as possible done during the day on Friday then Saturday morning I can pop the turkey in the oven and warm everything up and it will all go smoothly.

My First Thanksgiving Menu:
Olive Cheese Balls (a family recipe)
Roasted Turkey with citrus and herbes de Provence (a Giada de Laurentis recipe)
Turkey Gravy
Stuffing
Party Potatoes (a family recipe)
Green Bean Casserole
Jewel Roasted Vegetables (an Ellie Krieger recipe)
Zucchini Bread (a family recipe)
Poppy Seed Bread (a family recipe)
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Cranberry Turnovers (an Ellie Krieger recipe)

My challenges here will be finding a baking pumpkin and making the pumpkin pie from scratch because my sources have revealed that canned pumpkin isn't available here. I have also heard that French fried onions are difficult to come by, but not impossible. I can hopefully recruit some family members to bring an appetizer, salad or rolls.

I am thinking of introducing a new English food to the Thanksgiving meal, Yorkshire puddings. Yorkshire puddings are kind of like a cross between a dinner roll and a croissant. They are shaped like a hollow dinner roll but they are light and a bit flaky like a croissant.


I haven't learned to make them homemade yet because as I understand they are quite difficult to make. The tins, which resemble shallow muffin tins, must be filled with oil and then placed in the oven until the oil is piping hot at which point the batter must be poured in quickly so that they puff up properly. They are a bit bland but I love the way they soak up gravy. I think my English guests would really miss it if I didn't serve the meal with Yorkshire puddings (called Yorkie puds for short) because they traditionally have big roasts every Sunday afternoon and Yorkie puds are always a staple of the Sunday dinner. Wherever there is a big roast and gravy they expect to find Yorkie puds on the table and I don't want to disappoint.

On a less festive note, I am sick for the 4th time in about two months. I was curious as to why I keep getting everything that comes my way. My diet is good, its not like I have a vitamin deficiency or anything. Then I did some thinking back to my science classes and my addiction to Discovery News and developed a theory that my immune system isn't used to the strains of viruses and bacteria here. I know that viruses and bacteria genetically mutate with each generation, some more than others, but I can imagine that being separated my an ocean that the flu and cold viruses here probably don't even remotely resemble the viruses my immune system is accustomed to. To test my theory I did some research online and it turns out to be true. That is the root of my repeated illnesses, probably also the time I spend with my niece who is most likely always carrying around things from school so I have a lot of exposure. I suppose it is a really good thing I am not a teacher, I would be sick constantly! I don't know how long it is going to take before my immune system adjusts but I think I should probably take some supplements to help me ward off all of these unfamiliar diseases. This is something I never thought about before I moved here but now that I am experiencing it, it seems logical.

As long as we are talking about illness, I have to confess a mistake I have been making in interpreting the local dialect. When I have been sick, my in laws have asked if I was "poolie" or so I thought that was what they were asking. I had no idea what they were talking about, but by process of elimination I figured out they were asking if I had been sick because it was the only thing I had been for the past week. The other day, someone said it again at choir but they must have enunciated a bit better because suddenly it clicked in my mind what they were saying.

Here, instead of pronouncing the word "poor" like "pore" they pronounce it "poo-er". Instead of asking if you are sick, they ask if you are "poorly", pronounced "poo-er-lee". Now say that fast and drop a consonant like the English are so very good at doing, and you get "poolie". I suppose it makes more sense, but it has taken me months to figure this out!

Today Jason is returning after three weeks away! He took a week off so he could be home with me for my Thanksgiving and we will also be shopping for our Christmas decorations this week! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!