From Turkey to Christmas...

 

As promised, here is part two of my recent update- where in the world has Nikki been! 

I love Thanksgiving... it's the holiday I enjoy most because it is about being inclusive and celebrating with friends... and of course about being thankful. I look forward to this time of year and I begin to reflect as another new year approaches... and I feel blessed to be the person I have become and have so many wonderful friends and family members to share my life and experiences with... ahhh, American Thanksgiving...

This year it was more of a multicultural celebration with many traditional foods. 

Susan and I co-hosted which basically, means she was amazing and opened her home for us to invite our friends to eat, drink, and be thankful for one another. 

We created a sign up on our school mail system for everyone invited to list what they wanted to bring... of course we asked for some of the traditional holiday foods including stuffing, mash potatoes, and cranberries but otherwise we were open to any goodies for the table! The only problem with our holiday was we had to work the next day- despite the food coma!

 

Susan fast-cooked the turkey after school - thank goodness for the convection oven setting- and despite not being slow-cooked it was a very moist and juicy turkey! 

 I used my Grandma Hume's Deviled Eggs recipe and displayed them on my new polish pottery egg plate! They were gone quickly- per usual!

I made a Cranberry, Apple, Raisin Dressing... using a bagette I dried out for two days! 

I followed my dad's stuffing recipe he wrote down for me two years ago... It was super fluffy and yummy!

I also made Green Bean Casserole! My mama brought the French's dried onions in her suitcase... (thanks mom!) This is a no fail, much-loved Thanksgiving dish. I just wish my sister was here to eat it with me- it is our shared Thanksgiving FAVE!

Wayne and Lindsey are already slipping into Thanksgiving heaven smelling the goodies that arrived on our table! Lindsey is "wafting" in this photo.. can't you tell?

 Overall, it was a great Thanksgiving full of smiles- especially from our Welsh friend Anne! 

The day after Thanksgiving Susan, Lindsey, Allison, Anne and myself took a bus to Nuremberg for the opening of their Christmas markets!

Last year, Allison and myself went to Vienna the weekend after Thanksgiving for their holiday markets, but this year, Lindsey suggested we go somewhere we haven't been...

... great idea Linds! 

 

 mmmm... Nuremberg Sausage!

... one of my ore traditional purchases!

 (Anne, Susan, Allison, Nikki... Lindsey is taking the photo...)

In addition to some shopping at the department stores we walked the markets, drank hot wine, ate the best-ever shortbread cookies, fresh stollen bread, and of course sausage and saurkraut... it was cold and snowy and made me feel like Christmas is around the corner!

Since October, I have had a full and busy life... but I am still very happy in Prague and looking forward to 2011! Can you believe it is around the corner?

 

So, where in the world will I be next? 

Here is a clue... a sheep-shearing country and land of the kiwis and Maori people...

Check back around the holiday for a hello from none other than beautiful New Zealand!

Cau for Now! - Nikki