Talhams@Toulouse: Toulousian Thanksgiving

Over the canal and through the streets to the Mingotaud's house we go...to do Thanksgiving in Toulouse! Luckily, Dan, Christophe and Anne-Francoise had a connection at work to get us a turkey. Don't worry--it was not chemically manufactured, microstructurally developed, or biotechnologically engineered. As boring as it may sound, our bird was raised on a farm with a carefully timed diet planned for peak plumpness. In fact, we were quite lucky to get a turkey because the farmers time the raising and feeding of their livestock so that they will be ready for their season. Turkeys, or dindes, are a Christmas bird, so it was touch and go whether or not Tom (or shall I say Tomas (don't pronounce the "s") Turkey would be ready for us. In the end, the cereal and milk he gorged on did the trick to fatten him up so we could have Thanksgiving!

I managed to make two pies: pumpkin made all the way from scratch--meaning, believe it or not, that I actually started with a pumpkin, and my grandmother's Fudge Pecan Pie since the chocolate in France is outrageously delicious. I will admit that I purchased a Tarte Tatin since Claire doesn't eat nuts nor does she like pumpkin, and everyone should have some dessert to enjoy on Thanksgiving! Dan made a superb turkey that was cooked to perfection. We tried our best to have all of our regular "fixin's" and managed to fill our plates with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach casserole, creamed onions, and gravy. As if that wasn't enough, we kicked it all off with foie gras and a creamily delicious chilled bottle of Monbazillac.

As usual, our day with the Mingotauds was filled with laughter and fun and memory-building. We played board games, Christophe took the girls down to the park to play an outside game with large blocks, and we watched almost all of the original Pink Panther movies. More laughter! We definitely felt the holiday spirit filling us up--even sans football to watch!

Below are pix of the day--the food coming together and a shot of my plate before I dug in, not necessarily in any order. As much as we missed our traditional Thanksgiving, we were lucky to spend it with the Mingotauds and build special memories of our fabulous Thanksgiving in Toulouse!