24 & Counting...

Yesterday was my husband birthday, and first I would just like to say happy birthday to the love of my life! This year was quite different from previous years. Away from family and many of the friends we would normally celebrate with, we shared a quiet day to celebrate the beginning of another year growing up.

Pancakes in bed, Prison Break..the final season, and the most fancy dinner we could pick out at our favorite place in town, Matlyckan. This meal is amazing!

Something amazing about Rob and I is that we have been able to grow up together. We started dating our freshman year of high school, making us the classic "high school sweat heart" couple.

We might be slightly more mature and a tad bit more responsible, but what makes our relationship so strong is the fact that we can be the same silly people that we were then and laugh together now. I feel so blessed to be this man's wife and to have shared nine years of history together.

I can't wait to see what year 24 brings us. To my husband: I love you more each year! (Not that I didn't love you a lot last year either)

Turkey Time

I don't want to toot my own horn but beep beep! :) Thanksgiving in Sweden was a total success. I think the idea of cooking a Thanksgiving meal can be intimidating, and therefore scares a lot of people off from even attempting. As you could tell in my last post I was extremely nervous, but surprising it really wasn't that difficult!

During the process of making the turkey, which was named Frank, I referred often to the videos I had found and the notes I had made to make sure that I was doing things right. Rob and I would confer at almost every step; Are we doing this right? In the end, I realized that it wasn't that tough.

For those of you interested here is a simplified version of the steps I took in making the turkey:

1. Take everything out of turkey
2. Clean the turkey  inside and out!
3. Season inside 
4. Stuff the turkey (Cook the stuffing before. Extras? Add to the oven about 20 minutes before the turkey is done)
5. Spread a butter and seasoning combination under and over the skin
6. Season outside
7. Cook at 325 F (Foil on top the first half) while basting every 30 minutes.
8. Serve!

Less than 10 steps. Easy and delicious! In my opinion when making the side dishes, having more people in the kitchen chipping in on the meal makes things more fun. My friend Paulina and I listened to Christmas music while the turkey cooked to get us in the holiday mood. And when the turkey was about an hour away from finishing, she made some scrumptious mash potatoes, David cooked carrots and corn, I made the sweet potatoes, and Rob and David made the gravy. 

Everyone did such an amazing job and when everything was finished, the table was full of delicious food! I couldn't be more proud! We had a few more friends join us for the eating portion of the night and before we dug in we all went around the table and shared the things we were thankful for.

There are so many things that we all have been blessed with and great friends and love ones was at the top of everyone's list! And then finally, we all ate so much that we never were able to move on to dessert!

Sweden Thanksgiving will be a night I never forget. It was great to be able to share one of our favorite traditions with our new friends.

The night made me also appreciate all the times our families have prepared this meal for us. There can be a lot of pressure on making this meal and hoping that it turns out well for everyone to enjoy. I just encourage everyone to make sure that you compliment the cooks and are truly thankful for the love that goes into the meal!

Thank you parents for so many perfect Thanksgiving meals. 

I can't wait to be home with you for the next!

Bossy Around the World

In light of being half way around the world (Moving from small town Michigan to Sweden as a "basketball wife"), I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a blog to keep everyone up to date on what's going on, on my mind, or in my sight.

As this is my first holiday away from home, I have been determined to not let my favorite traditions of Thanksgiving be left in the States. Although I don't think of myself as a great chef, I have hope that I can follow directions well enough to cook a turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, gravy, and candied sweet potatoes. A simple turkey day...Well plus inviting our Swedish friends! Can't say that I am not nervous about cooking my favorite holiday meal for about seven people. What I have on my side is that they don't know what a great Thanksgiving meal tastes like!

In all my type A personality glory, I have definitely done my research in the process of getting ready to prepare this meal. I have read a million turkey recipes and finally settled on a few easy videos to follow: How to Cook Turkey & All About the Gravy. Family has also been a big help, giving the "tricks of the trade" on the how to's and how not to. Thank you moms and aunts...I will soon find out if I can give advice to others too!

In corny Thanksgiving fashion, I am so thankful for many things this year. My husband who stands by me in everything, family who sends love and support daily, friends from home, and the new friends in Sweden who have welcomed us, helped us with the language barrier, and have taken us shopping! :)

Moving across the world has not been easy, but it is an adventure that I will always remember.  I have already had many days that I have felt homesick for family & American food (Thank you family for the care packages with all my favorite snacks!), but there have also been many days that I have been so happy that I took a leap of faith.

I am proud to know that my husband and I can live in another country and thrive. I've learned so much and continue to do so.

I am excited to keep embracing what a new culture has to teach me, exploring, and sharing with you all! I'll try to update often!