Blue Heart Journey: First Time Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

Nearly every Thanksgiving or Christmas I go to someone else’s home for dinner. I can usually be found at my mother’s house, but this Thanksgiving we are overseas in Algiers. We arrived in March 2012 and even then I was anticipating where we would celebrate the holidays. After a few months in country I pretty much decided that I would host our holiday dinner. It wouldn't be just Douglas and me though; it would be for all the Marines. I absolutely love doing anything that may help Marines be reminded of their homes in the states. They really appreciate the generosity and I certainly enjoy doing it. It’s a win-win situation!

A few weeks prior to Thanksgiving I started planning the menu. My girlfriend, also named Nicole, said she would help by fixing a few dishes too. We both enjoy cooking so this was right up our alley; however, she has hosted several Thanksgiving dinners in the past. This was a walk in the park for her. As for me, I was treading water very lightly, a bit nervous to jump right in and swim. But once I got into the groove of things, I felt like a natural! It quickly became fun and never once felt like a task. I didn’t just want the dishes to taste good, I wanted them to taste great!

For my first Thanksgiving I can say I did awesome! I’m generally very organized and love to plan things. One thing I dread in the states is grocery shopping for holiday dinners. The stores are tightly packed and bring about many frustrated emotions. And if you have the misfortune of going to the store just a couple days prior or the night before the big day, you typically find bare shelves, emptied by the previous shoppers. It was quite the opposite in Algiers. Shopping for Thanksgiving was no different than any other day. Thanksgiving is not celebrated in this country. They do have similar holidays. At that time the stores and markets here are also crowded with hoards of people. My Thanksgiving shopping experience was painless and enjoyable.

I stared prepping food two days prior by cleaning, peeling, and chopping several items. I got my baking out of the way the day before. I made a carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, sweet potato pies, and homemade rolls. Unfortunately I didn’t make the rolls gluten-free so I can’t comment on their taste. Everyone else spoke up for me and said they were delicious! Dinner was set for 2:00 pm. I was up bright and early like every other cook on that day. I made macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, candied carrots, corn pudding, apple crisp, pot roast, and of course the turkey. Nicole made corn bread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, potatoes au gratin, cranberry sauce, red velvet cupcakes, lemon meringue pie, and vanilla ice cream. We had more than enough food! The best part of this dinner was that no dish was off limits to either Nicole or me. We are both gluten-free and prepared the majority of food with that in mind.

Since pork is not sold in this country I selected roast beef as the second meat. My husband is a pot roast lover, but I am not. I rarely eat beef. I opted to cook the roast in my slow cooker to avoid occupying my oven more than necessary. My husband and I have a rule we follow. He must be 100% honest about my cooking and I must not take his criticism negatively. In order to have outstanding dishes we adhere to this rule strictly. So when he told me this was one of the best pot roasts he has ever eaten, I knew it was good to go. I couldn’t taste the dish because I seared the meat with regular flour and added regular flour to make the gravy too. But it looked absolutely perfect!

In addition to the roast, I was extremely proud of myself for cooking my first large turkey, an 18 pounder to be exact. Thankfully we got our hands on an American Butterball turkey. The turkeys were flown in from the states. They do have turkeys in Algiers, but there is nothing like an American one. I looked up several recipes, compared them, and then took the best ingredients and tips from my top choices and made it my own. I love how juicy my chicken comes out when cooked in an oven bag, so I opted to do the turkey the same way. Two days before Thanksgiving I rubbed the turkey down with my basic seasonings and then gave it a second rub down with herb butter I made. The morning I went to cook it, I sprinkled paprika all over the skin to ensure it turned golden brown. I placed it in the oven bag (breast side down) with some dry white wine and 3 hours later my 18 pound bird was glowing! When Douglas cut into the turkey the juices were flowing out. I took the advice from a few reviews and placed the breast down instead of up. They all said the breast would be juicer than ever and it was! Even after four days that turkey was still mouthwatering. Everyone enjoyed all the dishes that both Nicole and I made.

I was most grateful for having the opportunity to share my first holiday hosting experience with our Marines, good friends, and my wonderful husband. While Douglas could have been deployed by himself during this time, God blessed us to have this experience together. It was such a pleasure for Douglas and me to use the blessings God has given us in money, food, and cooking skills, and share that with others. Talk about a Thanksgiving to remember!