Happy Thanksgiving 2015 - Reflections & Nana's Apple Sausage Stuffing

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Yes, today is American Thanksgiving.  Living in France means that we do not celebrate traditionally here as it's not a French holiday.  Today is just like any other Thursday - work day, school day - normal day.   However, if you have been a follower of my blog, we have created our own traditional way of celebrating in France.  I prepare a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday evening and invite friends and other families to join us.  Often, we have shared our table with French friends who have not had the pleasure of feasting and enjoying a Thanksgiving meal. Food is slightly different here, but I'm now able to find everything that we are use to and I'm able to serve a traditional meal with our favorite recipes. It's a learning experience for our friends but one that they have all really enjoyed.  This year is no different as we welcome 2 other families and a couple friends of my girls...I will be setting a table for 17.

As I take this moment to reflect, I am thankful for my girls and great friends here in Bordeaux. This past year has not always been easy and has definitely had it's moments of adjustment. However, I am grateful for a wonderful network of friends here - both expats and French.  I was just thinking this morning how much more fluent I have become in French - how much more comfortable I am in starting a conversation, and feeling confident.  Yes, I've lived here for four years now, but when you speak mostly English in your house and at your job, it takes longer to be more at ease.  I am truly grateful for French friends who have been patient with me and who have encouraged me to speak more.  I cherish these relationships from the bottom of my heart.

For my girls, I feel blessed that they continue to enjoy their life here in Bordeaux and at this point are naturally bilingual.  I'm grateful to have given them this gift of living abroad.  They have a more worldly  perspective and are coming to understand how different cultures see and understand the world differently.

 

After the events of a couple of weeks ago, they are also asking more questions in trying to understand world events and why things like this happen.  I'm happy for their curiosity and continue to educate them on making good decisions.

I'll keep this post short - but wanted to wish all my American friends and readers a very Happy Thanksgiving day - everyone is in our thoughts this special day and throughout this upcoming holiday season.

One final note - I am sharing my family's Turkey stuffing recipe below.  I had written the following post a couple of years ago, but thought it would be fun to share again for new readers.  Enjoy and even if your not American - in the spirit of the holiday take a moment, count your blessings and reflect on what you are grateful for in your life.  

Re post from November 2013

Our Thanksgiving Tables last year

It's almost Celebration Time!!

Thanksgiving is just around the bend. Here in France, it is not a holiday - it's just a regular Thursday - workday & school day.  But that doesn't stop me from celebrating one of my favorite American Holidays!!

Yummy farm Turkey and cranberry sauce

Obviously, it's a bit different here, my family is all back over in the States and I do miss that traditional time of getting together with my brothers and their families.  It was one of those times of year when all the cousins came together from afar and enjoyed a great weekend!  I have to say - it's these moments that living abroad gets a bit hard - we all get a bit homesick.

But new place, new traditions.  For the first time last year, I prepared a real Thanksgiving dinner and it was so fun to celebrate this holiday with our traditional favorites! It was also fun to introduce it to some French friends who had heard about this great feast but had never experienced it.  Again, this year, we will be sharing our Thanksgiving table with French friends and celebrating everything that we are grateful for!

I wanted to share my favorite family recipe for this holiday!  (Thank you mom!!).  This Stuffing recipe is a combination of 2 family recipes.  My mother combined her mother's stuffing recipe and her mother's in law's stuffing recipe to create this delicious dish.  I have always enjoyed it over the years and every year I look forward to having it at Thanksgiving!  It's been shared with many guests around our table - and it's always well liked!  I, of course,  will be passing it down to my girls. I have therefore named it, Nana's Apple-Sausage Stuffing  - for my daughters!   It can be made spicy or mild - depending on sausage and addition of hot pepper sauce.

The Famous stuffing before it went into the bird

NANA'S THANKSGIVING

APPLE-SAUSAGE STUFFING

1 pound sausage (for spicier version- 1/2 mild, 1/2 hot sausage)

1 pkg whole kernel cooked corn- or canned corn

6 apples (chopped, peeled)

10 cups dry bread crumbs (if you can't buy dry unseasoned bread crumbs, cut up some bread in cubes, bake it to dry-Use French bread)

1 1/4cups beef broth

2 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3/4 cup sugar (to taste)

5 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp poultry seasoning

3/4 cup milk

Hot pepper sauce (optional-amount depending on taste)

Mix all together in a big pan, then put inside the turkey.  Extra stuffing can be place in a pan and baked separately.

For a 18 pound turkey, which should be enough for 11-12 people; you can bake it separately in casserole dish; maybe cover it so it doesn't crust on top.

All stuffed and ready to cook! - Extra cooks separately

Last year was the first year I made it here in France - luckily had most of the ingredients.  My mother sent me poultry seasoning - & I had to make my own bread crumbs.  (Side note, Use French baguette for bread crumbs, I thought it would be too hard once dried, but the softer bread disappeared with all the moist ingredients)  but other than that - DELICIOUS!! 

So here's to you - Mom - Thank you for creating such a special recipe and one that will be passed down for generations to come - I hope!!  

Thanksgiving, The Fall and what I am Thankful for

Time to Reflect - 

 I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already!!  This Fall is just zooming by....I guess the more you enjoy life, the faster the time goes!!  My goal this Fall is to try to get a blog post up at least once a week.  Still working on that but knew I needed to update with what has been happening here.

The post is mostly a photo essay to share the beauty of the Fall - but to also reflect on the spirit of the season.  Would love to see comments on how the Fall has been for so many of you and also what your reflections may be this season.

 I have to say - we have had a GORGEOUS Fall!  I know we have only lived here 3 years - but I don't remember the previous seasons to have so much color  - both in the foliage and even with the skies!  Beautiful reds, oranges, yellows and rich deep pinks and purples in the sunset and sunrises!

 This past month has been sprinkled with working in Bordeaux and in the surrounding wine regions.  I really feel spoiled to be able to not just enjoy the beauty here, but to be able to share it with our clients.  This past Sunday, I did some guide training in the Medoc region and not only enjoyed the stunning architecture of these gorgeous chateaux, but I was also mesmerized by the colors!

 Even back in Bordeaux, the blue sky, the beautiful leaves and the warm weather has been wonderful for one's perspective and outlook.  I feel so grateful to live in a place like this - the beauty constantly reveals itself and the balance of the old with the modern makes it a wonderful place to live!

 The girls have also enjoyed the outdoors this Fall - riding bikes to school, hanging out at outdoor cafes and just having fun together!

 So on this Thanksgiving day - I feel so grateful for my girls, my family and my wonderful friends both near and far!!  I also feel so blessed to have gotten to know so many of you in my virtual community (hopefully someday we will meet in person) - and I can honestly say - so many times your insights, messages, posts and kind words enrich my life in ways I can't even imagine!

It's a wonderful day to reflect on all that we have, all the people  in our lives and the beauty that surrounds all of us!!  So even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving - know that it's one holiday that just lets us pause, reflect and enjoy our lives with friends and family.

We will be celebrating our Thanksgiving meal on Saturday - sharing our table with Americans and French - looking forward to enjoying a special meal together!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Thanksgiving 2013 & Creating New Traditions

Pumpkin Pie - One of 3, I made this week!

Thanksgiving in France - 

Celebrating as an Expat

The day of Thanksgiving is a very special day for me.  Yes, being an American this day has always been full of family, memories and lots of fun with cousins.  I grew up with Thanksgiving always being held at my parents house - filled with aunts, uncles and cousins.  The group changed over the years - as we all grew up and had our own families - but the tradition still remained.  My parents hosted Thanksgiving and my brothers and I would return home with our own families.  We use to joke about an adult table and a "kids" table.  For my girls, Thanksgiving memories in the States have always been a weekend full of cousins and activities and of course the big family feast.  Interesting enough, the children were all getting old enough to have their own "kids" table while adults enjoyed eating together. Family is very important to us and traditions have taken on a whole new dimension since moving to France. This weekend was bittersweet for that reason.  My girls often spoke this weekend of their cousins and how much fun they always had together those Thanksgiving weekends. How much they miss seeing them for this holiday. 

Thanksgiving is not a French holiday - it is truly only an American holiday symbolizing that First Thanksgiving so many years ago between the Pilgrims and the American Indians.  It is a holiday that is not really understood by many French in France.  They have heard of it but really don't know much about it or why it is celebrated.  One of the most special things that happened to me this year was I was invited by my youngest daughter's CP (1st grade) teacher to come in and share about Thanksgiving.  Now this activity excited me but was also daunting.  It marked the first time I was to do a presentation in French.  I have no problem speaking to groups in English - but French...that's another story. My French is proficient and fairly fluent but I of course, speak with an American accent.  I know also that my grammar or pronunciation of certain words may not be correct, but for the most part my friends here have always been encouraging and understanding.  But here was my chance to not only share about our very special American holiday but to get a bird's eye view of my daughter's classroom and classmates.

I decided to not only tell them the story of Thanksgiving and what it has come to mean for Americans present day but to also do a quick craft with the class.  One of the things that is nice about our school in France is that the children are also learning English.  I decided on a "Gratitude wreath" where the kids could choose words in English or French that represented the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The Multi-cultural Gratitude Wreath

Samples of some of the Student's wreaths

I was definitely a bit nervous as I spoke to the class.  I'm sure my French wasn't the greatest - but my daughter's teacher was a delight and helped me out when I needed it.  I kept things simple, but it was fun to give them a quick history lesson.  The teacher also checked in with the kids to make sure they understood the concept that I was sharing.  I shared the history, what it symbolizes today and our traditional foods for the meal.

The kids then generated words that related to this holiday. They of course gave French words, the teacher asked that we also include English words.  The kids then chose the words they wanted and wrote them on their wreath.  As they were finishing their wreaths, I served them some pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin pie is also not known to the French.  Yes, they have pumpkins, and various versions of squash similar to pumpkin - but to make it into a pie - that's a surprise.  Amazingly, most all the kids tried it and liked it.  One of my favorite moments was one student who came to me at the end and asked "Is it okay that I didn't like the pie?"  I answered "of course, it was okay that she didn't like it, and thanked her for trying it."  Her reply , "Well, I ate almost all of it!".  

Trying the pumpkin pie...

 After they finished their wreaths and the pie, one of the student teachers lead them in an English song that they had learned.  It was definitely adorable!

Singing their English song...I just love seeing all the French sayings on the walls & it's mostly in Cursive!

 So, that is how I spent my Thanksgiving day!  The kids went to school, my husband was at work (well, actually even out of town!) and I got to join my youngest at school for the last hour of the day.  I have to say - I did feel like I was missing out on something as my thoughts often wandered to what my family and friends would be doing back home in the States.  But I have to say - to be able to share about this special holiday and enjoy a great moment with my daughter's class was truly a Thanksgiving Day to remember!!

We just postponed our Thanksgiving meal until the weekend.  I spent most of Friday and Saturday cooking our favorites.  My middle daughter even helped me with making Nana's Apple Sausage Stuffing.  My oldest daughter made the Jello molds - choosing 2 different kinds.

My daughter's will be the 4th generation to make variations on this stuffing recipe.

Raspberry Jello

The giant Turkey...Yes, I think it was about 20 pounds!

The Master carver at work...

 We hosted some wonderful French friends who have now been able to join us for 2 years in a row.  It truly makes for a special tradition.  I updated a few recipes this year - choosing to make an Oven roasted sweet potatoes & pears dish (Thanks goes to my friend Zosia - over at zosia Cooks) along with a Green bean casserole. Other dishes were mashed potatoes, pureed butternut squash, Apple Sausage stuffing, cranberry sauce and of course, the Farm fresh turkey.  We served it buffet style as it gave people the opportunity to choose what they wanted. Due to space issues, we let the younger kids eat first and then the adults and the oldest girls sat down.

Starting to eat.

The table as we began to sit down

 We ended our meal with pumpkin and apple pies along with some fruit JELLO for those daring enough to try it.  Interesting enough, the  fruit JELLO was a big hit.  Everyone who tried it found it fruity and refreshing. (Yes, this was the one thing on the menu that we have imported from the States - I receive it in care packages or from friends traveling back from the US).

Overall it was a marvelous Thanksgiving.  Yes, not exactly the same as we would have done in the States and yes, we all missed our  American extended family. We thought about them often this weekend.  The girl's definitely had their melancholy moments reminiscing about past memories. We laughed, smiled and felt sad as we recalled those memories of past Thanksgivings.  These are the times when living so far away takes it toll. These special holidays that hold such precious family value.

I know that's why it's important to me to keep celebrating our American culture and create new and special memories as we live here in France.  We feel so lucky that our friends have joined us for 2 years now.  They are so touched to be included in our American tradition and appreciate our American dishes. They have become good friends and it's so nice to have such beautiful magical evenings and create new memories. Here's hoping those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving enjoyed your long weekend too! 

Our Thanksgivng table...yes, that's me...photo courtesy of my husband.

Thanksgiving - Nana's Apple-Sausage Stuffing Recipe!!

Our Thanksgiving Tables last year

It's almost Celebration Time!!

Thanksgiving is just around the bend. Here in France, it is not a holiday - it's just a regular Thursday - workday & school day.  But that doesn't stop me from celebrating one of my favorite American Holidays!!

Yummy farm Turkey and cranberry sauce

Obviously, it's a bit different here, my family is all back over in the States and I do miss that traditional time of getting together with my brothers and their families.  It was one of those times of year when all the cousins came together from afar and enjoyed a great weekend!  I have to say - it's these moments that living abroad gets a bit hard - we all get a bit homesick.

But new place, new traditions.  For the first time last year, I prepared a real Thanksgiving dinner and it was so fun to celebrate this holiday with our traditional favorites! It was also fun to introduce it to some French friends who had heard about this great feast but had never experienced it.  Again, this year, we will be sharing our Thanksgiving table with French friends and celebrating everything that we are grateful for!

I wanted to share my favorite family recipe for this holiday!  (Thank you mom!!).  This Stuffing recipe is a combination of 2 family recipes.  My mother combined her mother's stuffing recipe and her mother's in law's stuffing recipe to create this delicious dish.  I have always enjoyed it over the years and every year I look forward to having it at Thanksgiving!  It's been shared with many guests around our table - and it's always well liked!  I, of course,  will be passing it down to my girls. I have therefore named it, Nana's Apple-Sausage Stuffing  - for my daughters!   It can be made spicy or mild - depending on sausage and addition of hot pepper sauce.

The Famous stuffing before it went into the bird

NANA'S THANKSGIVING

APPLE-SAUSAGE STUFFING

1 pound sausage (for spicier version- 1/2 mild, 1/2 hot sausage)

1 pkg whole kernel cooked corn- or canned corn

6 apples (chopped, peeled)

10 cups dry bread crumbs (if you can't buy dry unseasoned bread crumbs, cut up some bread in cubes, bake it to dry-Use French bread)

1 1/4cups beef broth

2 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3/4 cup sugar (to taste)

5 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp poultry seasoning

3/4 cup milk

Hot pepper sauce (optional-amount depending on taste)

Mix all together in a big pan, then put inside the turkey.  Extra stuffing can be place in a pan and baked separately.

For a 18 pound turkey, which should be enough for 11-12 people; you can bake it separately in casserole dish; maybe cover it so it doesn't crust on top.

All stuffed and ready to cook! - Extra cooks separately

Last year was the first year I made it here in France - luckily had most of the ingredients.  My mother sent me poultry seasoning - & I had to make my own bread crumbs.  (Side note, Use French baguette for bread crumbs, I thought it would be too hard once dried, but the softer bread disappeared with all the moist ingredients)  but other than that - DELICIOUS!! 

So here's to you - Mom - Thank you for creating such a special recipe and one that will be passed down for generations to come - I hope!!  

Loire Valley, Villeny, & Thanksgiving Prep!

Fun with the girls!


Vacations are always fun...but I often feel like I spend the next few days or even a week in recovery.  All the stuff to put away, the laundry to catch up on, the clothes to unpack - all in a day's work.  Still adjusting to the French laundry - the time it takes to hang things to dry (really don't like the dryer) - it's a non-stop job for 3 days.

Thought I would take a quick break to upload some photos and capture some of our memories.

My oldest daughter had a lot of fun taking photos on this trip.  She took this photo of her sisters and me and I can't wait to see some of her other photos.  She has a great eye for composition.  One day I plan on posting some of her photos - always fun to watch your kids develop their own style.

I have to say, that's why it's really nice here in France that we have had 2 weeks of vacation.  This weekend - we can just hang out, relax and prepare ourselves for the routine to begin again. It's also nice to hang out as a family - as I mentioned in the previous post, my husband was off in Florence, Italy on a business trip - so great to have family time!  The kids are feeling more refreshed, they had a fun week traveling and during the first week - they saw their friends and relaxed at home.  When we were away - we rented a quaint old farmhouse in the country - in a small town called Villeny. The house was situated 2 km in the woods and had beautiful grounds to enjoy.  The kids had lots of fun outside.  There was a swing set and trampoline at the house, not to mention a pond and plenty of animals to enjoy!  The Fall foliage provided such a beautiful backdrop.  We also enjoyed the fire in the wood stove each day - like stepping back in time.

As I said in my last post, I will write up separate posts about each of the places we visited - It was such a great get away...We toured 3 castles and went the to Zoo Parc de Beauval during the 6 days were were away.  Here's a quick taste.

Chambord

Cheverny

Chateau de Clos Luce - home of Leonardo DaVinci

At the Zoo Parc de Beauval - St. Aignan

My thoughts are now heading toward Thanksgiving preparation - Thanksgiving is not celebrated in France but since it's such a huge family holiday in the States - we will enjoy our own festivities here.  It is a bit tricky getting exactly what we need here - but through my resources, I think we will be able to manage quite nicely.
Last year, my kids were a bit disappointed as I went shopping a couple of days before our celebration and couldn't find a turkey...(we had chicken instead), Cranberries for cranberry sauce doesn't exist here either, or canned pumpkin for pumpkin pie, did find sweet potatoes...but it was definitely a unique Thanksgiving!  We are already doing much better this year on the food front - a little more planning and organizing.  Just got confirmation that the butcher shop can order a large turkey!  Yeah!

We won't be able to celebrate until the Saturday after the real holiday - as it's a normal work and school week here - but I already feel better that it will be a bit more traditional.  We have also invited some family friends to join us - always fun to share traditions with others!

So other news - This blog has been nominated at Circle of Moms for a Top European blog award.  However, we need votes to qualify.  Please click on the Circle of Moms link on my page (located just above my bio) and vote if you enjoy reading this blog.  Also, share with your friends!  Voting is only until November 21st.  Thank you. - (or click on the link below)  You can vote once every 24 hours.

Circle of Moms - Top European Blog 2012


So I end this post with the peaceful view on the property where we stayed -
Just a visual reminder of how relaxing our time was there - and when things get crazy again - I know where to come back and look.