Thanksgiving in Belgium

Well, we made it through our first holiday abroad. It was fun, a little unexpected, and different. But all in all, I would mostly say it was a great day.

We had originally been invited to go to a friend’s house in Brussels, but that fell through. So, since it was going to be “just us” for Thanksgiving, we went to the commissary and loaded up on all the “Turkey-Day” essentials. This was the very first time that "T" and I attempted to cook a traditional Thanksgiving feast all by ourselves. The menu was complicated a bit by our Belgian kitchen. We have a VERY small oven. Most of my American pans are too big for it and you can only cook one thing at a time. So we had to get a little creative. Here’s what we did:

• Turkey cooked on the grill (a turkey breast on the rib cage since it was just our family)
• Potatoes cooked in the oven
• Green beans cooked on the stovetop
• Stuffing made in the microwave (it was just StoveTop Stuffing so this was no big deal)
• Raspberry Gelatin Dessert made in the refrigerator (of course)

The next morning after taking Buddy to preschool (yes, he had school - Thanksgiving is an American holiday and he goes to a Belgian preschool) we had a leisurely breakfast and then "T" entertained Little Miss with his guitar. She really loves music and thought that this was a lot of fun!

At noon, Buddy got picked up from school and then the visiting began. We spent most of the day on the phone or on video chat with someone in the States. It was fun to check in with everyone and to share the holiday in a very tangible way.

After putting the kids down for a nap/quiet time, it was time to begin cooking. After what seemed like 15 minutes (but was actually the rest of the afternoon) it was time to sit down and enjoy our first Belgium Thanksgiving. We took turns saying what we were thankful for and explained to Andrew the history of the holiday. Then we got to dig in. Everything turned out wonderfully. "T's" grilled turkey was wonderful and the 2 new recipes I tried ( the potatoes and the green beans) were a big hit. Little Miss, true to her nature, loved the stuffing. What did we expect - it is bread after all!

By the end of the evening, I was horse from talking all day (on the phone and to my family) and my feet were killing me from being on them all day. BUT, I was very happy. And thankful. Earlier in the day after dropping off Buddy for preschool, I ran into one of the women in PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel). She has 3 little boys and her husband is down-range in Iraq. After talking with her, I realized how truly lucky we were to be celebrating together as a family. Yes, we were away from our extended family, but we ended up talking with them all day on the phone. But "T" was here with us, not somewhere unknown and dangerous. I am so thankful that we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving together as a family. I hope you were with those you loved as well.