Mille Grazie- 1000 Thanks

Giving thanks daily for the life I have created

I am thankful every day for the live I have and the friends.

I never thought I would be living in a foreign country and never thought I would be here this long, but so happy I took the risk so many years ago.

Looking at Thanksgiving from so far away for so long, it’s interesting to see how now it has also come to Italy in a twisted sort of way. Many of the larger cities with expat populations have embraced American holidays probably for financial reasons. It started with 5 star hotels adding Sunday Brunch and Thanksgiving to their events.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Cinco di Mayo are also reasons to party now in Italy. Everyday I can find food products like the “Homer Simpson donuts and also premade pancakes and waffles at my grocery store. TV and internet have really made the world a smaller place.

I think Italians have Americans beat on the food orgy part of Thanksgiving as it’s really a part of Italian life. Normal Sunday lunches gather friends and family together weekly and the typical Italian menu is so huge. You really need to train to eat that much.

When I first moved to Italy, the Americans were not famous for eating well. I tried my best to recreate Thanksgiving for Italians to show them that Americans did cook. I couldn’t find ingredients like an American ham or even a whole turkey! I had to have a turkey ordered for me from a butcher at the mercato centrale in Florence, who had a guy that raised them outside of town. In the 80’s Italians didn’t eat Turkey. If you found Turkey it was usually a scaloppine.

Once I helped a client order a Turkey for him to do “Thanksgiving” and when he picked up the turkey. it didn’t fit into the oven in his rental apartment. OOPS!

He brought it down to a local trattoria and they roasted it for him.

Over the years, I have heard some great disaster stories related to Thanksgiving.

One of my students, a college kid, roasted his turkey with that bag inside!!! You know, with the neck and gizzards inside.

Another kid, was following the recipe for making stuffing and the ingredient list said a whole loaf of bread. For him, that was sliced bread in the bag. Was hard to stuff into the turkey.

Sounds like a joke, but I have seen people misunderstand recipes… in many ways!

I remember one thanksgiving, my grandfather took us all to the Officer’s club in San Francisco at the presidio. It was a special occassion for us. When they gave us the menu, I remember choosing to have the prime rib and my mom threw a fit as she said we had to have turkey. Since her parents weren’t American it really wasn’t part of her growing up I don’t think. She spent her childhood in Shanghai! I don’t remember if i actually got to eat the prime rib or had to have turkey, but do remember being yelled at and ruining what was a special day.

This year I made a last minute mini Tuscan thanksgiving. My tacchino porchettata, Sweet and Sour Cipolline and brussel sprouts cooked with pancetta. I also made a layered potato and pumpkin dish we didn’t eat yet as my husband said this was enough.

Hope you meal goes off with no nightmare stories and if so, remember, to be thankful!

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Where did you grow up and what is a must have for your Thanksgiving table?

My mom’s brother married an “American” so she was the real deal for us, her contribution was sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top. I never liked them, but I know they are a must for a lot of people.

I grew up in California, I am sure there are a lot of regional recipes as well across the states. Not sure where my mom got her recipes from. I don’t remember my American grandmother ever cooking. She did make candied walnuts for the holidays.

My mom made two stuffings for the turkey,a rice one and a cornbread one. The cornbread one had apples and sausage in it. It was delicious. I may make some just to have it.

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I put together a Tuscan thanksgiving recipe collection over on my Patreon page and it’s free for everyone, if you want to bring a little Italian into your next Thanksgiving.

I thought i would google around for a Thanksgiving song…. OMG move to Italy and you miss these moments in history.

Enjoy your leftovers!

This is the Thanksgiving song from my younger days!