Giving thanks

Of all the holidays, this one, the one that has no relevance to my homeland, reminds me the most of home and how I miss it. Thanksgiving is like a Dutch Christmas. There are no presents, no take, take, take, spend, spend, spend*, there is just food, and togetherness and the spirit of being thankful. Because of that Thanksgiving would be my favourite American holiday. You know, if it didn't make me homesick 'n all.

When my Mam moved out of the house I grew up in after my Dad died, she asked if I wanted this kitchen-utility rack. I don't remember ever NOT having it hang in the kitchen, and I am ridiculously sentimental about stuff, so of course I wanted it. I told her I'd take it with me to the US (although at that point we had no idea when that would be) and she was fine with that.
One of the first things I did when all of my boxes arrived was hammer it above the kitchen window.
A little bit of home away from home.

It seems appropriate that today, after spending hours in the kitchen preparing for tomorrow's dinner, I'd post a photo of this. These are my roots, this is what I'm thankful for.





*Ofcourse, the spending and taking starts while still digesting turkey, (or in my case, the toafloaf I'm making right now) on Black Friday. Some stores open their doors at 4AM, which I personally think is beyond insane.



Edit to add the toafloaf guidelines (I hesitate to call it a recipe) for Memento:


2 packs of tofu (I use Nasoya's extra firm), diced and squished firmly.
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup of mushrooms
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
Season to taste:
salt
garlic
cumin
paprika
sprinkling of soy sauce
black pepper
chili pepper

I sometimes put mustard in it, and today I used hot pepper jam which gives it a nice little afterbite.
It should have a fairly firm consistency, if it's too mushy, add breadcrumbs.
Preheat oven to 350. Fill (greased) loafpan with mixture. Cover in aluminium foil. Bake for about an hour and a half, and then 30 minutes uncovered.