I would like to put together a genuine Thanksgiving dinner for a group of friends here in Spain. After my last attempt, I've decided that I likely need to source most of the stuff from the US: the few things I can find in specialty markets here are generally British equivalents and just don't cut it.

I want a basic, traditional dinner, nothing exotic. It seems I can break the menu down into two groups: stuff I can get/make here and stuff that is going to have to come from home.

Here:
Mashed potatoes
My mom's canned-corn-and-cream-cheese thingy (it's really good)

Home:
Big fat turkey
Cornbread stuffing (out-of-the-turkey kind)
Cranberry sauce
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie

I'm not much of a cook, so here's where I need some help. The tricky part looks to be the turkey and maybe the pies. I looked into getting one of the pre-cooked ones from Popeye's but at the moment they are out of stock and it isn't clear if that will change closer to Thanksgiving.

My questions:
1. Where can I get a turkey, and how hard is it going to be to get it into the EU? How long will it, um, "keep"?
2. Can I make a pie if I buy the pecans/karo and canned pumpkin in the US? How hard can it be?
3. What else am I forgetting?

I have a bunch of people coming to BCN at the end of Oct who can probably be bribed into bringing non-perishable items, and will be in Chicago until Nov. 15 so that would be a chance to bring the bird back if possible.

Help me, FlyerTalk.

Alan, I think it's great you'll be fixing Thanksgiving dinner for your friends! I also think you could convince a few of us to bring contributions toward your Thanksgiving dinner when we're in BCN at the end of October!

The pie should be easy enough to make if you buy the ingredients here (or we bring them to you) assuming you have an oven . Do they not sell canned pumpkin in BCN though? Not a clue on the turkey -- sorry! But (if you haven't already) you might try contacting Butterball or Perdue through their websites for any suggestions they might have.

Big fat turkeys are available all year round in the UK (though we mostly eat them at Christmas and Easter) and we are of course a little bit closer than the US. You can also get cranberry sauce and various types of stuffing in the UK.

I cannot comment on the pumpkin pie and pecan pie as I never eat these.

Most cans of pumpkin in the US have the recipe for pumpkin pie on it. I think all you need are some spices, eggs, and evaporated milk and a pie crust. From what I remember (it's been awhile since I made one), it's not too hard. Best of luck.

They're extremely easy to make, and pecan pie is pretty easy too

I have ordered turkeys from my butcher here in Paris - no problem, though I neeede to give him some advance notice as the big market for turkeys here is at Christmas. I don't think I would bring one back from the US, though - birds don't keep that well, you should know that!

What's the pastry shop scene like in BCN (sorry pinki!)? I made pumpkin pies one year and had my neighborhood pastry shop sell me the pie dough, which was delicious and made my task much easier. Also, in France, very good pie dough can also be purchased at the supermarket - maybe in Spain as well?

I'd buy the pie ingredients (except the pecans) in the US and buy/make the crusts back here in Old Europe.

I made Thanksgiving dinner in London last year. It was actually a lot easier than I would have thought. You can get a turkey fairly easily in London, which if you're otherwise scheduled to be there, might be easier to bring in from than from the US. Otherwise, I have to imagine that you can order a turkey from a butcher where you are, it just might take some advance notice. Be warned, however, that it might be a little more, ahem, gamey, than you're used to. My posh London turkey had feathers still attached.

You can make the pies if you bring Karo and pumpkin. I actually found the pumpkin and other ingredients in London. Here's the recipe I used:

http://www.eaglebrand.com/detail.asp?rid=696

It's pretty easy, and I think you ought to be able to find condensed milk where you are. Can't help you on pecan pie...I've never made one of those.

Cranberry sauce - if you can get fresh cranberries it's easy to make. Boil down a package of cranberries with a cup of sugar and some OJ (I can give you a more precise recipe if you decide to go this route).

Stuffing - Williams Sonoma has a great packaged focaccia stuffing mix.

Feel free to PM me. I collected some recipes and cooked a few "different" things that were easier to make given what I had available (I made a really yummy mushroom dish). I won't bore the rest of the group, but I know what you're going through!

Good luck!

http://www.stouffers.com/products/Pr...roductID=10065

Great idea to do the dinner!

Most of America cooks frozen turkey anyway, and they take a LONG time to defrost. You'll need a hard-sided cooler (no styrofoam) carefully packaged and it shouldn't be a problem for someone to fly with it in October and you could keep it frozen until near Turkeyday. Heck, FedEx the thing overnight if cost is no object.

Agree the pies are so simple you can't go wrong. Nonesuch Mincemeat in the jar at the grocers makes a really good pie. Yumm.. . our family doesn't do Pecan Pie because it is just too sweet and too southern. What about the sweet potatoes (yams)? And the little-bitty marshmallows and bourbon?

Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions!

I heard back from Popeye's a few minutes ago. They will have their deep-fried turkeys ready to ship in the continental US by mid-October! They come frozen in a cooler/shipping container by Fedex. They told me they can keep for several days in that container so putting it on a plane with me to come home is no big deal. Once back in the freezer they said it will keep till Thanksgiving no problem.

The only question that remains is whether I will have problems with customs trying to bring it into the EU. Would I check it or try to carry it on? I'll be re-entering in AMS. Any experience? This might make a better topic for Travel Buzz.

Everything else sounds like it will be pretty much no problem to make from ingredients. If I can talk some (more) FTers into bringing over the key, hard-to-find stuff I should be all set! I have never seen anything here in Spain even resembling a pie, and the online supermarkets don't list it, so I guess that's something I can make. I seem to remember it's flour, water, and shortening, right?

I don't think it will be too much of a problem, European customs agents are not the same as their US counterparts, and usually don't give a damn what you have with you, and considering it's already cooked it should be just fine.

Let me know if you need any help with the logisitcs of this project.

Deep-fried turkey?!

Spoken like a true tapette!

http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/al...cles/242P1.asp

Oh, and thanks Scooby. Hopefully I won't have to bug you with this.

"Cajun"

I was on a VS IAD-LHR earlier today where they announced that you couldn't bring any meat/fish/dairy/fruit/vegetables into the UK and if you had any, you should surrender it at Customs.

On the BA SFO - LHR flight a week before there was no mention of any such regulation.

Having said that, there was no sign of Customs officials sniffing around inbound passengers for signs of dodgy products!