Thanksgiving for Gringos

We decided to celebrate Thanksgiving this year by hosting a dinner.  The group of gringos with whom we hang out were not having any organized gathering and none of the restaurants we've patronized in the past were that fabulous, so we had been left pretty much on our own.  We hadn't entertained in the 2-and-a-half years that we'd been in Mexico, so the time was ripe....

Although the table will extend to hold more, we were limited by the number of place settings we have - only six - and matching dining room chairs, also six.  And that's not counting only five creamed soup bowls that we have, thanks to my breaking one last year!  More than enough for the two of us and our dogs - not that the dogs sit on chairs at the table; they prefer to stand when eating.

So we planned a menu and invited four friends.  Our friends (other than those in the gringo group) tend to be nationals, so it was a bi-lingual dinner party.  They all speak English as well as Spanish, but there were occasional bursts of Spanish which neither Michael nor I particularly understood.  Guess we have to keep working on our Spanish!

[That's our famous Brussels Sprouts in the blue-glazed dish]

Two of our friends also brought dishes to share: Both a pumpkin pie and a Key Lime pie for dessert;  mashed potatoes topped with crispy shredded bits, and a wonderful guacamole which included chilies, tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds (and matching chips).  Everything was delicious! Hadn't seen guacamole with pomegranate seeds since finding it at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Phoenix - the Barrio Cafe.  So both the appetizer table and the dining table were overflowing.

Dinner was a gab-fest that lasted from around 5 until 11 pm through Pilgrim's Prides, margaritas, wine and coffees -- and we decided that we should gather for drinks at our favorite roof-top bar, La Azotea, Saturday night in honor of Jean's birthday (which was actually Thanksgiving). 

A new tradition begun?