When we realised we were going to be in Amsterdam over Thanksgiving, and that we would have access to our own kitchen, there was only one thing that Scott wanted me to make: lasagna. Oh, and stuffing.
Now, as I make Jamie Oliver’s version of lasagna, which has layers of butternut squash in it, this isn’t as random as it sounds, because the taste is really nice during autumn and quite fitting for Thanksgiving. I also have a confession to make: I don’t like turkey (I know, I know, but I just don’t, ok?) So because of this, lasagna seemed like the perfect dish to cook for two people instead of trying to buy two separate meats or one big chicken which we couldn’t have finished.
As we were discussing meal options, I was quite surprised that Scott wanted to eat stuffing with his lasagna, but I figured that maybe he was just being a crazy American and we would make it work somehow. Little did I know that American-style stuffing is actually completely different to the stuffing I know and love in the UK. The American version often uses bread croutons as the main base, with pieces of meat/onions/celery/nuts etc thrown in and then baked in the oven. In the UK, fine breadcrumbs are generally only used to bind the mixture together and meat/chestnuts/fruits are often the main ingredient, which is then cooked in a similar style to meatloaf.
Once I realised that the American stuffing would be more like a bread-style side dish accompaniment, it didn’t seem so crazy after all. We chose a mushroom, chestnut and sausage version from a cookbook that Scott’s Mum had sent us and I kept my fingers crossed that it would turn out as expected.
As it was my first ever Thanskgiving, I also wanted to make a dessert which incorporated some popular ingredient of the season, but that wasn’t too heavy after all of the other food we’d be eating. Luckily, Pinterest came to the rescue, and after a quick search for pecan desserts, I happened across a recipe for New Orleans-style praline cookies, which I had heard Scott talk about before.
So, the menu was set and the ingredients had been bought; all that was left to do was crack open the Prosecco…
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