Our new tradition of appliance mishaps returned this year. Two years ago, we went through a couple of refrigerators in L'viv, Ukraine, finally scoring one that worked. This year, our new stove malfunctioned all day. Something has gone awry with the thermometer or the electronic controls that connect it to the igniter. While the oven heated up, it would not re-fire as the temperature dropped well below the requisite cooking temperature for the turkey. Erik stood watch in the kitchen, manually re-starting the oven every 5-10 minutes. We were able to finish the turkey and stuffing in the oven, but the bird was a bit unevenly cooked.
However, Thanksgiving is more about sharing with family and friends than worrying about the food preparation. Lea's parents visited for the holiday, and we also hosted a Ukrainian Fulbright scholar (Maksym from L'viv) along with Margarita and her daughter Anya (from Russia). Erik read President Obama's Thanksgiving proclamation, continuing our tradition of reciting presidential proclamations before the meal. Everyone enjoyed the company and the standard fixings - turkey, stuffing, succotash, squash, cranberry relish, and mashed potatoes - along with our newer additions - kimchi (honoring a Korean family that shared Thanksgiving with us for several years) and a delicious beet salad that Margarita prepared (per Lea and Erik's request - it is our favorite Russian salad).
Erik working on the turkey (thanks to Maksym for the photo).
After dinner conversation.
Carter playing hide-and-seek.
