Holi-daze.

This year is the first year I have not been present for Thanksgiving at home in my life. While abroad, my friends and I had been determined to do Thanksgiving justice with all of us not being able to be home for the holidays. Wednesday night shopping brought home a frozen turkey (7.99 euro) veggies, 2 bags of potatoes, asparagus, squash, and various dessert ingredients. I took my friends souvenir shopping early on Thursday morning, and promptly returned to campus around 12pm to help with the cooking. The turkey was frozen and needed to thaw out, so it was sitting in a bathtub full of cool water since 6am that morning. I went over prepared to help with cooking, not for what I had to endure. The turkey was almost thawed so we decided to get to work on stuffing it and baking it in order to eat at a reasonable hour. We pulled out the plastic bag with all it's guts in it and threw it away. After that was out the turkey still seemed like it needed more to come out so we could stuff it properly. The neck was in the way of that. I had to grab this poor dead turkey's neck and rip it out. It seems like an easy task, but it was utterly disgusting and completely daunting. The turkey was still partly frozen in the center so I had to use my sheer brute strength, and after a few tugs, the neck flew out and on to the kitchen floor. I screamed. Gross. After stuffing the turkey, we put it in the oven to cook for about 5 hours. Periodically I basted the sucker but mostly left it alone in order to help make the accompanying dishes. For dessert Sarah had made this delicious apple pie, as well as pumpkin pie. I contributed with some magic bars, which were amazing. The turkey finally came out of the oven around 6:45pm and it looked fantastic. I had the job of carving it. I have no personal carving experience, and have only witnessed how to cut one while watching my dad do it at my house. I tried as hard as possible to mimic the carving technique that I think my dad used. I got as much turkey off the bones and started passing the plate around. My pseudo family and I enjoyed Thanksgiving together. It went off without a hitch, and I couldn't have asked for a better holiday in a foreign country away from home. Now that I know I can cook and actually not burn and ruin things, I will possibly contribute some food and maybe even learn how to properly carve a turkey next year.