Thanksgiving: the Good, the Bad and the Stuffed

Wonderful day, spent with wonderful people, eating wonderful food. We had enough food to feed about 40 people, but only had about 20, so there were lots of leftovers, and lots of stuffed bellies (the way Thanksgiving should be!) Although we missed some who were unable to be here, the bunch who made it were a hoot, and we are all thankful that we've found such a neat group to spend time with, halfway across the globe. It was fun to share our family traditions, and to introduce non-Americans to the dishes we grew up with. So...with no further ado...here are the results of the Thanksgiving Showdown.

Cranberries (Oklahoma): thumbs up!
Deviled Eggs (Midwest): thumbs up again!
Pumpkin Pie: split. Some hated, some tolerated. I guess this is an acquired taste. I have acquired it, and enjoyed it thoroughly!
Derby Pie (Kentucky): thumbs up! (It has melted chocolate...yummy.)
Hidden Valley Ranch and Crudités: thumbs up-ish. But the Americans were lovin' it.
Norwegian Meatballs (North Dakota): enjoyed greatly (Thanks Mom!)
Stuffing: awesome! Thank you, Sally!
Green Bean Casserole: way good--and not a drop of cream of mushroom soup in it. Tasted SO much better!
Sweet Potatoes (Oklahoma): Mmmm...sweet.
Corn Puddin' (Virginia): Delish, y'all!
Raspberry Pavlova Roll (Australian entry): Mmmmmm...raspberry...
Apple pie; Mmmmmmm...apple...
Turkey and bread: yum! Thank you to the restaurant across the street for helping us out! Turkeys weren't to be found this time of year, but the restaurant guys found some through a wholesaler, and baked us a HUGE bread--this thing was pretty much the size of a bed pillow--a big bed pillow! And Sally's trick of the sopping wet kitchen towel in the turkey, re-wet every twenty minutes, gave us the first moist turkey I think I have ever eaten on Thanksgiving! (Ok, maybe I exaggerate, but it really worked! Weird, but worked!)

I may have missed something, but at this point the triptophan is kicking in (or else I am just pooped), so will close with a few photos. Some of the photos can be found on Flickr, but since my Flickr is full for the month, and since we had to ante up for prescriptions, doctor bills, and home repairs (which will all be reimbursed, but haven't yet), I am not "pro" yet, so will post a few stragglers here. I wish I had captured more, but was enjoying the festivities rather than spending time behind the lens. Check out a few more on my Flickr page.

To all our new friends, thank you for welcoming us into the group, and for being such a great bunch of people. We are truly blessed to have found you.