A Defining Moment

I knew I could cook, but for some reason, cooking a Thanksgiving meal, with all the shopping for ingredients, the day before prep and expectation of guests, is a different beast. I did it...in a foreign country! I'm a little proud of myself. :) Granted, I had to ask my parents how for their recipes for everything, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? I didn't have a whole turkey. Apparently, you have to order it in advance here. I had, as weird as it sounds, turkey parts. I think a thigh and a breast. I made gravy, which started out disastrous, but turned out really well. I also had green bean casserole, for which I had to make my own fried onions and cream of mushroom soup. Neither exist here. Well, the soup came in a powder form, but I had to guess how to make it because I couldn't understand the directions without looking up every word. I also made sweet potatoes- changed some stuff from my mom's recipe and made them my own. :) The cranberry sauce had to come from a can, because you can't get fresh cranberries here, but it was still good. Ali got a loaf of bread and I also made a salad, which was so pretty and colorful. Dad even noticed when I showed the family around my dinner on Skype. My guests brought the dessert and wine. Ali and her cousin Geneve were here and my camp friends Lauren and Adam were, too. Adam baked amazing peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and Lauren brought rugela (a delicious, Jewish dessert) from a famous bakery in J-town.
I graduated college 2 1/2 years ago and have been living on my own, with a "real world" job/ in a new country, but sitting and eating this successful Thanksgiving meal that I made myself far away from home finally made me feel like an adult.
My camera is broken, but Lauren took pictures, so when I get them from her, I'll post them here.