SAYING MERCI TO THANKSGIVING

MERCI THANKSGIVING

I hosted Thanksgiving only once in my life and I had the help of a very dear friend who is American and happens to be a Cordon Bleu cook; Does that allow me to say "I hosted"? probably not.

I am now in Paris for the first Thanksgiving Day in a very long time and, to make things more interesting, I am in fact actually hosting the feast this time. Well, technically I am getting a lot of help. 6 of my girls' American friends are coming and all are participating in the procedure. I love the idea! 

My brief: just sit back and relax, mom. 

OK.

Easier said than done.

I am the one in charge of the bird! You make a mess of THAT and you go down in history as the failure of all failures!  

Right off the bat a small detail adds a little excitement to the day: the oven in the apartment is Paris size. God, I am hoping that a turkey for 10 will fit...the boucher was not entirely clear as to the dimensions of a 6Kg fowl. Wish us luck!

As for the rest, you will understand why I am featuring an image of the shop above: finding cranberries and canned pumpkin in Paris is slightly more challenging than driving over to the local supermarket. However, with the help of Google and a few phone calls, both were found in the Marais rue St. Paul at Thanksgiving, the store, or should I say THE store for all culinary items American. 

And, by the way, if I am writing this at this hour, with not an apparent worry and no obvious epistolary handwringing, it's only because MY Thanksgiving is taking place on Saturday, everyone's "off day" over here...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AMERICA!