I can't believe it has been 4 months since my last post - I promise to be better about my blog now that it is cooler and the project has calmed down a bit (NOT). Being apart from my family for Thanksgiving was easier than I expected and I was happy to host an international group of friends for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in my flat. The guest list was limited as I only have seats for 8 around the table, however, we managed to include a Brit, a Dutch, a Jordanian, a Pakistani, 2 Americans, and even a young "Qatari" boy (born here).
I prepared all of the Bauer favorites and American traditions for my guests - stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn casserole, etc. Dessert was my now famous (at least in Doha) blackberry-apple crumble and I threw in a pumpkin pie with ice cream and whipped cream respectively. I made the delicious blueberry scones from the Ely Blueberry Festival recipe which almost didn't get made
because buttermilk (the essential ingredient)
was a difficult find in Qatar.
Since my oven is TINY, I elected to have the turkey prepared by the Radisson Blu catering staff. It came in a huge blue box and it looked like the largest turkey ever roasted, but when we unwrapped it, it was a modest 12 pounder.
One of my guests was a very happy 4-year-old in the turkey box.
I had fun preparing the meal - the biggest challenge was finding enough casserole dishes to prepare all the sides! I had to break my Doha rule and purchase two additional glass containers to make it happen. Having to stock a kitchen/apartment on a temporary basis really makes me think about what I REALLY need in the kitchen. A month ago, it took me a couple of weeks to decide that I really needed a rubber spatula. I keep reminding myself that everything I buy has to find a new home - hence NO LIVE ANIMALS!
Well, I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy my photos of my guests!
