Il Giorno del Ringraziamento aka Thanksgiving

I promised my roommates at the beginning of November that if they bought a turkey I would cook them Thanksgiving dinner.  Not that I have ever made a whole Thanksgiving dinner (I usually stick to pies) but I figured it would be a challenge and they were curious to try all the American food.  So I spent a lot of time searching for ingredients here and planning what I could make.  I had to skip the cranberries because you just can’t find them here, the yams mostly because I don’t really like them anyways and without the mini-marshmallows to pick off there’s really no point, and grandma’s jello because there is pretty much none of those ingredients to be found..
But the dinner was a huge success!!  I thought it was all great – everything tasted amazing and came out just right.  Even the turkey which had to be cooked in two separate 2 hour time frames since no one was home for the entire four hours in the afternoon to watch it.  Titti went to the market and came home with a 6 kilo bird (like 13 pounds) freshly slaughtered with some of the feathers still on.  I can’t say that I have ever cooked a turkey but I slathered it with some olive oil, rosemary and thyme and covered the skin with salt, put it in a pan and put it in the oven.  Everyone laughed at me when I asked about finding a meat thermometer because they apparently don’t exist here – so we just trusted the four-hour time frame and it came out perfect. 
Since I had to work until 8 the night before and then the whole Thursday afternoon – I ended up staying up really late and getting up really early but managed to get everything done.  I must point out that EVERYTHING was homemade from scratch – even the pumpkin pie made from a real pumpkin (so much better than from a can!).  I made rolls, stuffing, apple pie, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy and a turkey – most of which I have never done before.  We invited over our friends Erica, Gabriele and Leticia and had a great time eating and talking.  And I tried to explain all about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving  - at least I think they got the point.  We all reflected on our many blessings and the things that we have to be thankful for (especially such good friends).  It was a day that lived up to its name.                                                                                                                     
“Quando camminiamo con uno spirito di Gratitudine questo attirera` su di noi le benedizioni del cielo".”  President Monson                                    In my translation: When we walk with a spirit of gratitude this will bring upon us the blessings of heaven.