A Norwegian/American Thanksgiving--part 2, Eating!

The day of the feast has now come and gone, and a good time was had by all. Everything went pretty well. I spent two full days cooking and prepping, but I enjoy doing that once in a while (so long as it doesn't have to be too often!). I tried a new method for roasting the turkey which worked out really well (courtesy of Cook's Illustrated, my favorite cookbook series, and now my favorite website for recipes). I cut the turkey up before roasting so that the breast section is separated from the thigh/leg sections. Then I roasted the breast side down for an hour, turning it over for the second hour or so of the roasting process. It seemed to keep both the white and dark meat tender, and of course it took less time than a whole turkey. The recipe also suggests you put chopped carrots, onions, celery and garlic in the bottom of the roasting pan along with some broth to catch the drippings. The vegetables really enhanced the drippings, and the gravy was the best I've ever made.

Sorry for the less than artistic photos.
I forgot to snap pictures of the food until after we had already sent people through the buffet line.

We had a nice turnout from the Professor's lab, and our Norwegian friends seemed to enjoy the feast. The pumpkin pie was a big hit. Pumpkins are not really used for cooking here. In fact, one of the gals mentioned that even five years ago it was rare to find pumpkins for sale at all. They have become more common around Halloween.

Before dinner, our kids put on a short skit about the origins of Thanksgiving in America. They wrote their own script (with a little editing help from Mom and Dad) and made Pilgrim and Indian headbands for the little kids to wear. Even one of the twins (#2) got involved. She insisted that she should have a script (she doesn't read) and a speaking part. She did a great job, chiming in with her lines, "Like Turkey! and mashed potatoes!" right on cue :)

The Professor also had us go around and share one thing we are thankful for (this is a tradition at our house). I think this was a bit of a stretch for some of our reserved Norwegian friends. We kidded them that they should consider it a cross-cultural experience.

We are very thankful for the opportunity to be here, and for old and new friends on both sides of the Atlantic who have encouraged us along the way. Happy Thanksgiving to you All!