Nearly a month ago, I made my first of two Thanksgivings this season. We turned grocery shopping into a team sport and bought more butter than should ever be purchased at once. We cooked pounds upon pounds of sweet potatoes, the last of which we had grabbed from under the nose of another American woman (it’s a dog-eat-dog world when it comes to sweet potatoes in France). I set out two days to make the meal: one for pies, one for food. What had at first been an early Thanksgiving for those who could not go to my “real” Thanksgiving in London soon became a meal of epic proportions, as people started requesting invitations. The group exploded exponentially from seven to fifteen, and there were five pies.
So why have I waited so long to write about it?
I’m lazy. I’ve been at school 9-5. I’m exhausted. I’m lazy.
I really don’t know.
For the past three years, Thanksgiving in Paris has been my tradition. It started on a whim and soon exploded to what it is today: weeks of planning, careful preparation and timing, writing schedules so intense that if I had paid this much attention to studying for my exams, I would probably have a Nobel Prize in physics by now. What I liked about this year was the fact that I was actually able to enjoy myself, actually confident enough that I could finish everything without burning that I sat down with everyone else and ate.
From the first pie crust I made with my friend Matt sitting in the kitchen, watching and keeping me amused, to the last tray I pulled out of the kitchen, carefully watching in front of the oven to make sure that nothing burned, it was a surprisingly stress-free Thanksgiving. My friend Kat had made us feathers to wear in our hair so that we could dress up as Indians. Matt made sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and our friend Shyan brought a giant salad. We ate leftover pie for weeks.
And then, because I am a crazy person, the next weekend, I went to London and did it all again.
The Menu:
Apéro
Pigs in a Blanket
Baked Brie
The Meal
Rotisserie Chickens
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Creamy Herbed Potatoes
Corn Muffins
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Sour Cream Crumble Top Apple Pie
Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
(all with Vodka Pie Crust)
Looks wonderful!