Thanksgiving is almost here and let’s face it, it’s gonna be different this year.  It’s easier than you might imagine, actually.  I mean, you know that the French don’t celebrate it. You know it intellectually.  But seriously, the French don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.  There isn’t anything Thanksgiving-y around to make me feel like I should really be celebrating properly.  There aren’t any pumpkins, no silly turkey cartoon images plastered on everything, no brown and gold and red autumn colors to remind us that it’s the fall.  There’s no cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg/clove spiced everything either.  

It’s easy not to miss it when it’s not there.  But now that I’m writing about it, I do miss it.  The French don’t really understand what all the fuss is about.  But the Americans, well, we love it.  All around.  Not a single American I know has said they’re skipping out on the festivities.  Not a single one has said they don’t mind doing something else.  Because what we know, is that it’s really the best holiday ever.  It’s a day devoted entirely to being with family and friends, eating good food and giving thanks for what we have.  It’s called gratitude and it’s a wonderful thing. 

I won’t be in California this Thanksgiving, but neither will my family.  My parents, brothers and a good family friend jetted off this morning for Vietnam and Thailand, where they’ll be traveling for the next 3 weeks or so.  I’ll be off to Paris again to celebrate “A Very French Thanksgiving” with a bunch of Americans and a Frenchman.

In the meantime, this little gem is “from the archives,” if you will.  I made these cupcakes last year to rave reviews.  They’re adorable and time consuming and I love them.  I don’t have a step-by-step tutorial for these, but the cupcake is from the Peanut Butter and Chocolate cake, the frosting is Ina Garten’s Chocolate Buttercream and is piped in a modified shell pattern with a small(ish) round tip. The tail feathers are toasted almond slices. The chocolate face is the secret ingredient: on a sheet of wax paper, microwave a melting chocolate disk until soft enough to slide down the wax paper.  Once you’ve achieved the shape you want, hold it, slightly curved until the chocolate is hardened (or set it in the freeze propped up in a curved position until set) then pipe the eyes, nose and mouth with a small round tip.  I got the idea from a friend of my brother, who made something similar. 

I could really go on about this dish forever.  It’s delicious.  It’s easy. It’s simple.  And did I mention it’s delicious?  Because, yeah, it tastes SO GOOD.  

Onions, potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes all combine together to make this the perfect side dish for a warm and cozy meal.  While the tomatoes and zucchini lend this dish to being more summer-oriented, my grocery store is still carrying both these veggies (and in good condition, too!) so I figured, why not?

Truth be told, I don't even really meaure this recipe anymore, I just eyeball the ingredients.

Vegetable Tian (Ina Garten) 

2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled

3/4 pound zucchini

1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs

2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

I'd say it's a rare thing, indeed to be able to go to the doctor's and leave with a free party favor.  And I'm not talking about the nasal spray for your sinuses.  And let's face it, that doesn't count anyway, since you have to go to the pharmacist to get it anyway.

No, I'm talking about this:

Behold my lungs.  Oh, yeah.  Coolest.  Thing.  Ever.

One of the less thrilling aspect about living in another country is the visa requirements.  The best part about my teaching gig however, is that it's run through the government, which makes it not only legal, but also less hassle-ridden than the average visa-seeker (don't get me wrong, there is a lot of beauracracy to wade through no matter what).  One of formalities involved in getting my visa is a medical exam.  The details about it are less than thrilling and I won't go into them, but apparently the French are very interested in the quality of people's lungs, so they require a chest x-ray.  It's free (yay!) and you get to keep the picture (double yay!).  Awesome.