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(Photo courtesy of Daniel Sundin)

We hosted our first ever Burns Supper on the 25th complete with haggis, neeps and tatties — and sausages and onion gravy for those not eating large portions of haggis. It was a lovely event and we had lots of whisky toasts (not for the pregnant ladies there of course) and even Irn Bru! Besides the grease fire I started in the oven (whoops!), my favourite part of the evening was eating yummy food (especially the sticky toffee pudding), chatting with good friends and watching all our little ones play together. What other Burns Supper had Winnie the Pooh music from a plastic car as an accompaniment to reading Burns’ poetry?

So what is everyone making for Thanksgiving? Are you doing the whole meal by yourself or bringing dishes to a party? Do you make the same recipe each year for each item or mix it up? And, what is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?

We’re having Thanksgiving dinner with 2 neighbor families and should have quite a spread. We’ll have 2 smaller turkeys and a ham, various sides and at least 2 pies. Which is way more food than needed, but does ensure we all have leftovers! We’re bringing a turkey (roasted; the other family is bringing theirs fried), green beans and stuffing. I’m not sure if we’re also bringing a pumpkin pie. I bought ingredients as well to make these amazing brussel sprouts and I know most people don’t like them but if you cook them with lots of butter and cream you really can’t go wrong! I might just steam the green beans and add fresh minced garlic and lemon juice or I might use this recipe from Pioneer Woman. For the stuffing, I’m planning to follow a variation of PW’s stuffing recipe, but also add macadamia nuts like Bryce’s mom makes and he loves.

What are you making this year?

We’re having a party tonight to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Back in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament and as I take it the English tend to celebrate the foiling of the plot while the Scots celebrate(d) the attempt. In any case, mostly it’s a night for fireworks and bonfires in the UK. But as we have neither here tonight, we’re at least doling out the British food: beef and ale casserole with leek and mustard mash, bangers and mash (with onion gravy), and of course, sticky toffee pudding. We’ll be watching the movie V for Vendetta while we overindulge in meat, potatoes, and sticky toffee goodness. It’s as close as we can get to Britain these days.