Thanksgiving

Phew 'I'm pogged'! It's the only phrase for it.

Roh and I headed off to see Jenny and baby Sarah for Thanksgiving lunch - it was 60% UK folks (I have to say that and not Brits as Jenny is from N.Ireland) and 40% Canadians. Shared lunch affair. It was really good, we had such a lovely time with some new and not so new friends.

Muggins here volunteered to make Velvet Chocolate Torte. A truly fantastic recipe if you know what you're doing... So, shopping was the first challenge in putting the pud together:

• Butter - check
• Eggs - check
• Hobnobs - erm, substitute Dad's Oatmeal Cookies
• Dark chocolate - check (from France)
• Double cream - erm, will Whipping cream do?
• Granulated suger - only had caster and no whizzy blender

Having overcome the translation difficulties I then realised, as I was getting the ingredients ready, that we didn't have an electric whisk or even a hand whisk. Supermarkets here don't go in for the electrical section in the way they do in the UK. I headed home with a plastic, handle driven whisk and looked lovingly at Roh, who bravely took up the challenge of hand whisking the meringue and the cream to make the pud. He only nearly broke the whisk 5 times - it will be returned, and then manfully offered to lick out the bowls.

What an absolute star!

It turned out very well (considering) and Kev wasn't too keen to share it with anyone.

So now we're in post feast mode, relaxing in front of the telly with nibbles and a drink.

Lesson learnt? Go buy a hand whisk!!

The History:
In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada compared to the United States due to the simple fact that Canada is further north.