Turkey = Tacchina

If you didn't know this already, Florence is a city filled with students, and American students especially. And all the American students have to celebrate Thanksgiving (as you probably knew already.) The Florentines sell turkeys specifically for us, and the butchers put little "Happy Thanksgiving" signs in their windows, which are naturally colored red, white, and blue.

So we reserved a turkey at the mercato, and Samantha picked it up on Thursday. (Luckily, it was a bird that fit - if narrowly - into our tiny oven.) Sara found some cranberry sauce at an American bakery, and we spent the whole day cooking! Marsha (our art advisor), Pietro, Laura, Nancy, Jackie, and Mark came by. Sara and John decorated our apartment with paper cut-out leaves and turkeys, and a colorful decorated sign reading "Buon Giorno de Ringraziamento!" John also made all of us Native American headdresses, and bestowed upon us our Indian names: Sara was Chipmunk Nuts. Gaby was Magic Corn Husk. Sam was Wild Belly. I was Glowing Moon, Glowing Face. And John was Great Snowcone. I know what you're thinking - and yes, we are kind of crazy...

It was an epic feast that night - corn, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with panchetta, cream spinach, panzanella (a Tuscan bread salad), garlic mashed potatoes, sweet mashed yams, biscuits, and the turkey complete with stuffing, which Gaby prepared. For dessert, there was pear and dried cherry bread with cream cheese and cinammon butter, pumpkin pie, and afterwards, (naturally) the Thanksgiving food coma. I am still full - and we still have tons of leftovers.

Click for PHOTOS!