Thanksgiving week! So much to be thankful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

This week was all about cooking, baking, and walking for me. Sorry no crafts to display.

Second best kitchen appliance! A food processor!

I made four pumpkin breads this week (overkill? I think so too), two batches of pumpkin cookies, baked apple sundaes, mashed potatoes, green beans, brie and cranberry sauce (kind of...). I bought the best kitchen appliance I've ever used (mmm...maybe  minus a KitchenAid mixer), and adopted the newest addition to my growing farm in Ordino! What a week!

I also had two amazingly delicious Thanksgiving thanks to new friends who are wonderfully hospitable. It was a great week to say the least!

So pumpkin bread baking was  quite the extravaganza courtesy of Andorra's lack of baking supplies. Since brown sugar is near impossible to find two of the pumpkin breads I made were wonderfully delicious and moist, but crumbled into a million delicious pieces when you sliced into it.

Yummy crumbles

The first two attempts I just used raw cane sugar for brown sugar (it's brown right!) and that's when it crumbled like rain. Next time  I read a blog that suggested using processed raisins. Since I didn't have any raisins on hand but I had dried cranberries I processed those and threw them in! Interesting...the texture of the bread definitely didn't crumble. It had texture like a normal piece of bread, but the cranberries had definitely changed the flavor and the moisture level. It wasn't the best bread I made, but when I gave it to my classes they loved it! They also loved the strange pumpkin cookies I made. 


I finally did make a successful pumpkin bread. I used 1/2 cup raw cane sugar and 1/2 cup honey. It would have been the perfect pumpkin bread if I hadn't been impatient and not let it bake all the way. But! It was good and it was brought to dinner on Friday.

My theory (which has been confirmed by others) is that kids here are not exposed to the sorts of homemade baking we are in the states. My students had never heard or seen frosting before! They were so impressed and awestruck that I had made bread and frosting by myself! My theory also explains why vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cream of tartar are so difficult to find in Andorra! But I've now successfully won the hearts of many students through sugary treats from the States :)
I sealed the deal at lunch with a group of students when I made these little guys--Baked Apple Sundaes with Vanilla&Pecan ice cream and caramel sauce drizzle. As you can see real life does not look as beautiful as Martha Stewart's online cookbook picture does, but they were still delicious and the kids loved them! More and more students have been asking if we're going to do lunch everyday instead of once a week. Hmm...I wonder why :)

Well enough about baking! Let's talk about this cute little guy!

Rudy...Rudy...Rudy!...RUDY!..RUDY!!

Yes everyone, I expect a slow chant to welcome Rudy home :) 

This cute mutt is the newest addition to the US contingency at Casa Nova Font in Ordino. He has made an amazing transition. A surprisingly amazing transition actually which is why I'm worried I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night this week and he will have become a terror or something haha, but for now he's being an angel. Doing his business outside, ignoring the cat, not tearing apart anything, and not even trying to jump up on furniture (I think becuase he's never really been around furniture). 
Rudy came from the gossera (the pound) in La Seu (a small Spanish town right across the border from Andorra where I volunteer). He is an amazing dog full of personality and lots of love. He was brought to the gossera at least three years ago, possibly four. He had been extremely neglected by his previous owners. He was still wearing a puppy collar when he was brought  to the gossera which he had severely outgrown and was causing major damage to his neck. He recovered though and has been the love of the gossera volunteers since! Even though he was badly neglected he  doesn't hold grudges against people and is wonderfully social with people and dogs AND surprisingly cats! Well I wouldn't say he's social with Shera since she clawed him the first second he walked into the door and spends most of her time hiding and hissing at him. But he shows no interest in eating her so we're happy about that :) I'm more worried that Shera is planning how to eat him to be honest. But for now we're one happy family :)

So far there have been a lot of new "firsts" for Rudy since I don't think he's ever lived in a house before.
He had his first bath. And he didn't struggle or fight at all!
His first trip up a flight of stairs...
and more hilariously his first trip down. Teaching a dog how to walk down a flight of stairs might be the most hilarious-sad-pathetic-heartwarming experience haha. But now he is a champ and goes up and down stairs like he's been doing it for years :)
His first time on a rug (he was a lot scared of them, but now they're his favorite napping spots!).
His first night indoors in at least three years if not more. And his first night in a kennel. He only whimpered a little and then when I moved my mattress to his level he didn't cry at all. 

My friend Alisa helped me bring Rudy home, give him a bath, and get him situated. What a blessing she was! Thanks Alisa! So now Rudy seems to be adapting really well and he is definitely making me get my exercise and explore the paths of Ordino. Yesterday we went on four walks, this morning we went on one and we're about to go for a jog. 

I also learned  that Rudy, like me, likes to put his feet on someone when he is sleeping. Awww. Kindred spirits :)

Well I hope all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And you have taken the time to reflect on all the blessings God has given you--big and small.

Have a great week!

Love, 

Maddie, Rudy, and Shera