Giving thanks

Colombians have so many days off every year, but only Canada and the US celebrate my favourite holiday: Thanksgiving!

I try to celebrate it every year regardless of the country I'm in, and of course I celebrate in October which is when Canadians have theirs. Wikipedia says that "the first Canadian Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest, but in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. On his third and final voyage to these regions, in 1578, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Baffin Island in present day Nunavut to give thanks."

And on that same spirit, my housemates and I had a wonderful dinner the second week of October. A few of us said our Thank Yous out loud. I let them know I was thankful for their support through the very difficult last few weeks, their kindness and understanding. I am also thankful for having Graham in my life, my family, wonderful friends, and all the opportunities and experiences I have had over the years. I am very lucky, and have a very happy life and for that I like taking at least one day a year to say Thanks.

So Thank YOU! My friends and family and friends of friends that check these posts months after months, even when we go weeks without writing. Your comments, love and support mean a lot to me (and to Graham, who is currently very busy with school, internship, conferences and a few more things he manages to fit into his very long days in DC).

For some reason I didn't manage to take any photos during our candle-lit, patio dinner, but here are the links to the recipes we used for our Haitian feast:

• Shepherd's pie (No turkey available, plus a handful of British/Irish housemates made this a wonderful substitute!)

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2335/classic+shepherds+pie

• Sausage, apple and cranberry stuffing (apples brought from my hotel in Miami the weekend before, and dried cranberries purchased during my last visit to Vancouver!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/awesome-sausage-apple-and-cranberry-stuffing/detail.aspx

• Roasted butternut squash with Maple Syrup Glaze (the crowd's favourite!)
  

http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/10/roasted-butternut-squash-with-maple.html

• Orange glazed carrots (recipe picked up last year when our friends hosted us in New York)
  

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1850,149167-237196,00.html

• Green beans with sesame oil

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/sesame-green-beans-recipe/index.html

We also served some peas, bread and a simple salad. Our guests brought beer, wine and delicious Swiss chocolate that we had as dessert. Overall, a meal and an evening to remember!