 |
| Thanksgiving Feast |
Our Thanksgiving Dinner was a success! I am happy to report that American Cuisine was well represented last Sunday. I was surprised to learn that not only had most of our guests never experienced any kind of American Thanksgiving before, but they did not even know the basis for it. I am not really sure why I was so surprised. I am not overly well versed on other countries' holidays myself! We are very lucky to have a diverse group of friends and while there were 3 Americans present, everyone else was from somewhere else. Spain, New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, and of course the UK were all represented. As for the feast, well that was three days of some intense kitchen time! We started with pear bread, pumpernickel bread with pumpkin dip, & some mixed nuts. Then it was on to the main event: mini cornbread puddings; brussels sprouts and kale salad with pecorino romano, dried cranberries, & pecans; cranberry sauce with orange zest; herbed dressing with celery, walnuts, & apples; green bean casserole; herbed cream cheese and roasted garlic mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes with cinnamon syrup; roasted garlic brussels sprouts; brined turkey; and pan dripping gravy. For desert there were pumpkin and apple pies as well as some delicious chocolates that a few of our guests brought.
 |
| Dessert |
The best part of the night really was the company. It was so nice to have many of our London friends all together in one place. When I think about how it was only a little more than a year ago that J moved here, I feel so lucky that he has made such a wonderful group of friends. It was great introducing some of my fellow "transplants" to them. The night ended with everyone full and happy as I sent each guest off with their very own pear bread to enjoy throughout the week.
The Friday before our Thanksgiving dinner, J and I went to the
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. We had a blast. The Winter Wonderland is a temporary carnival that opens at the end of November and runs through the beginning of January. There are rides and games as well as craft and artisan food booths. You can shop for beautiful woodwork, Christmas decorations, unique pottery; or indulge in gourmet pretzels, chocolate covered marzipan, and Belgian chocolate. If you are really hungry you can go to one of many food vendors or order food at any one of a number of pubs and watering holes scattered throughout the carnival grounds. By far, the most lively spot is the 'Bavarian Village' complete with a Great Hall that is straight out of Oktoberfest. Here, the music is pumping and the crowd is incredibly entertaining.
 |
| Next stop, Munich! |
After a brat and a beer at the Great Hall we moved through an area with some rides, all of which I passed on... given the previously consumed brat and beer. We made our way over the The Fire Pit, another cafe bar area that had a huge fire, simple farm house foods, roasted marshmallows and a 70s cover band. We spent most of the remainder of our evening there-it was just so cozy! There is so much more to see and do; we would like to go on a couple of rides, so we'll have to make another visit. Most importantly, the chocolate covered marzipan stand was closed as we walked by at the end of the night, so... obviously we are going back!
 |
| Not going on this. |
 |
| Or this. |
 |
Husband Creche???
Definition of creche: Day care center.
Sounds about right. |
 |
| Get in my bellaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy! |
I have now been in the UK for 3 weeks and have been reflecting a bit on the differences between my first 3 weeks last February/March and now. Friends really do make all the difference, don't they? I think it's what really starts to connect you with a place. And more that just companionship, they provide you with so many useful pieces of information. In the case of J and I, we are the newbies, so we are constantly asking people for advice and recommendations. The lovely thing about it all is, that because everyone has been in your place, everyone is so willing to share their experiences and knowledge. I think that large cities with highly transient populations foster this kind of atmosphere, and London is certainly that. Since I've returned, J and I have been busy bees and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Below I have posted some pictures that I took the other day as I was strolling about town.
 |
"Life Preservers, Dagger Canes, Swordsticks"
WHAT?? |
 |
| Piccadilly Circus: Statue turned into the center of a giant snow-globe! |
 |
| Piccadilly Circus: Regents Street |
 |
| Wellington Arch: Hyde Park Corner |
 |
| Natural History Museum Skating Rink |
NOTE: When strolling about town, keep your whits about you! I was walking in front of Buckingham Palace today and encountered a bit of a crowd at a crossing where guards had stopped the foot traffic. Thinking it was just an issue with the light, I turned away to take a call from J. All of a sudden I hear shrieks and turn around just in time to see a Range Rover pulling into the palace grounds. Who was it? Why none other than HRH, Queen Elizabeth II... AND I DID NOT SEE HER!!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Now, I am not a huge royal "watcher". I would not have screamed had I seen the Queen, nor would I have jumped up and down as some of the people around me did. But when she literally drives right in front of you and you somehow miss it?? What a bummer. (By the by, the people most freaked out? Brits. So when you hear all of this bull about how they don't care about the royalty and Americans are so weird for being so interested?? No. They, especially the Brits on holiday from outside of London, totally lose their minds for this stuff.) But you know what I did see? Corgies!!! They ran out to the Range Rover when it pulled through the gates and stopped. Then the car started up again and the Corgies followed. I thought it was pretty cute.
 |
| "Who's a good royal Corgie?? You are, you are!!" |
