Happy Thanksgiving!

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Well, we did it! In a country in which most of the people have never tried turkey, we had a very successful Thanksgiving. We actually found turkey at a Brazilian shop near our house, but I was afraid our "oven" wouldn't cook it properly. (We have a microwave that converts to an oven with the press of the button, but things never really cook quite right.) So, we decided to roast a chicken, and had a great feast nonetheless!

This was the first time I ever cooked a whole chicken, yams, and pumpkin pie, and amazingly, they all turned out great! Pictured above: rolls, green beans, corn, yams, mashed potatoes and chicken.



We were happy to share Thanksgiving with two of our Japanese friends. They had never eaten yams before, and couldn't get enough!



This is really immodest, but the pumpkin pie above is the best pumpkin pie I have ever had in my life. I can't take all the credit, I suppose (I got the recipe from food network here), but still!

Chad insisted we get some extra pumpkin pie shots ;-)

We had a great Thanksgiving, but it could never replace Thanksgiving back home. We are so thankful for our family and friends, and we are looking forward to coming home to visit in a matter of weeks! Happy holidays!

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What? It's Already November?

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October flew by, and for the most part it was an uneventful month here in Yokkaichi. Some things of note:

• I auditioned for a job as a wedding singer, and I got the job! I am officially starting in December, and currently have three weddings lined up that month. Now to find a dress to perform in...

• We bought tickets for home! We're coming to visit from late December to early January. Can't wait to see everyone ♥

• We've been working for another branch of our main company and got to do a couple Halloween parties. I love Halloween and was feeling pretty homesick because Japan doesn't really celebrate it to the extent Westerners do (though it is growing more and more popular year by year). These parties really helped fill my Halloween withdrawals--I got to see loads of kids dressed up, play Halloween games with them, listen to spooky music and do "trick-or-treating" with them.

• We've been trying to make or find fall treats that we take for granted back home. I decided to have a go at making homemade caramel apples, but the Japanese caramel was SO sweet! Not to mention I thought I'd try and make them fancy by adding crushed M&Ms (and got lazy and just stuck them on instead of crushing them). Despite my slight disappointment at how they turned out, I was pretty amused by the look on the face of our friend from New Zealand when he saw what I made for dessert. Apparently they don't eat caramel apples in New Zealand, and he was totally taken aback. He told us he'd like to see us "try that" on our friend from Australia!

• Lastly, we tried to have an Oktoberfest party, which basically consisted of Chad, our friend Yasu and me. Though it wasn't really Oktoberfest at all, we figured the Japanese take things from other cultures and make them their own, so why shouldn't we? When in Rome -- or Japan -- right? Below is a picture of our feast:

Apples, homemade caramel apple dip, French bread, Kenchin Jiru (Japanese Stew), pumpkin bread, Brazilian sausages, Gouda cheese, wine and beer.

This is an up-close shot of the Kenchin Jiru. It has pork, potatoes, daikon, carrot, mushrooms, green onions, several seasonings and sauces. So good!

That's all for now. We'll try and be better about November updates than we were last month! Take care!