Thanks for Giving: Friends, Foreigners & Fantastic Foods

So the Thanksgiving feasting continued last night, as my housemates and I hosted our own Thanksgiving dinner (which we started doing last year). We invited many international students who have never had a Thanksgiving dinner before or know what it's about. A little Canadian culture for them :). With a guestlist of 20+, we knew we would need a whole lotta food. We were in the kitchen for the entire day, each with our own dishes to prepare. With 5 of us it worked out just fine putting everything together, how one could ever do it on their own though is beyond me. It did take a lot of planning though, making desserts days before and scheduling times to use the oven. The work was well worth it, as 22 of us sat down around tables stretched through the house covered with plates literally overflowing with autumn delights. All the dishes turned out great. I of course went back for seconds, and then continued to stuff myself with plenty of desserts far surpassing my full state. I was quite uncomfortable by the end, but with such wonderful foods eying me from the counter I couldn't resist. The night certainly exceeded last year's, in food and company. Sadly, it was my last turkey dinner (I had 3!), and we made soup today with the leftovers.

So now, feast your eyes on last night's dinner. A meal of epic proportions and tastes.

Delicious Pumpkin Hummus

Autumn salad with pears, grapes, feta and walnuts

Sodabread brought by our Irish guest

Pea salad brought by another

My maple-honey glazed carrots and walnuts

Mashed potatoes with garlic and chives

Cheesy white and sweet potato layered dish

Baked squash with pecans

Orange cranberry sauce, brought by a friend

The turkey, that my housemate and I babysat all day

The dessert table: ice cream, pear, cranberry & pineapple crumble, apple pie, cheesecake-pumpkin pies

My apple pie