# Celebrating Thanksgiving in Mexico



## Guest

I would like to invite some of my new friends and neighbors to a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. In the past many months we've all really enjoyed learning about each other's cultures and foods, so I think this will be well received and quite fun. My question is regarding the availablity of cranberry sauce, bagged stuffing, canned pumpkin and frozen turkeys. Okay, let me back up, we are renovating an old abandoned house so even though I typically make everything from scratch, I'm just not able to do that right now. So what I need is to be able to "run to the grocery" and pick up these things, make a pie and stick a turkey in the oven and have a quick but delicious Thankgiving feast for our Mexican friends. Problem is I haven't been able to find anything resembling these items in Taxco. We're going to make a trip to Costco in Toluca in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know if Costco has any of the traditional Thanksgiving menu items??? We wouldn't be able to get to Costco until a few days before Thanksgiving and I was hoping to find out whether I should give up my Thankgiving party idea (because of the lack of products in Taxco) or whether Costco would have these things. I was just at Wal-mart in Cuernavaca and they had absolutly nothing on my list. Any ideas that I could do "quick and easy". I know I could get a turkey from a local farmer, I could hull out a pumpling and I could make stuffing from scratch but as I said, because of our house renovation I just cannot do that right now despite my love of cooking. If anyone knows where I could pick up these items not too far from TAxco I would love to hear from you! thanks!


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## FHBOY

Why not incorporate the local food into your Thanksgiving celebration? When the Pilgrims had theirs, the food was very local, maize, turkey etc, so you'd really be doing Thanksgiving the way it was done in the 17th century.

We'd like to see the menu - it could be very interesting.

Happy Thanksgiving


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## AlanMexicali

*Turkey*

I have seen turkey legs and turkey breasts in the butcher dept. of a supermarket chain from Texas here in SLP called HEB. As far as whole turkeys I have not seen them anywhere including Costco, Walmart or Sam's Club even before Christmas, however we were invited to a dinner party in SLP between Christmas and New Years and the host, married to an American, did serve a whole roast turkey. Walmart has turkey legs quite often, but not before Christmas the last 3 years I wanted to buy a couple. HEB can be a bit more expensive and they had boxed stuffing and canned cranberry sauce when I looked for it. HEB is only in the central northern states as far south as Leon, Guanajuato. I might suspect there is another Americanized supermarket chain in the Mexico City Toluca area.


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## AlanMexicali

*Pavos*

A quick Google search in Spanish came up with this place.

Delicias Del Pavo

carnes, pavos, pavos navidenos, patos - Circuitos Cientificos No. 91, Ciudad Satelite (53100) Naucalpan, Estado de México - Teléfono: 55.5572-7332, 55.5572-7018


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## tepetapan

We have been buying whole turkeys for years, at first from Wal Mart in Veracruz, now they can be had at our local Bodega and Sorianna. They should start showing up in the next week or 2. 
Dressing is done from scratch, no bags of stuffing mix that I have found. Fresh cranberries are a no show in our area, they have started to stock cranberry in cans the last year, not very good but serves the purpose. 
Pumpkin pie in a can is also a no show. we import a couple cans a year to use during the holiday season.


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## froggie

i have bought stove-top stuffing at the "che" in the past but have not seen it yet this year. They do have canned crannberry sauce and canned cherry pie filling which could be an alternative...... if you have a chedraui near you.


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## Guest

FHBOY said:


> Why not incorporate the local food into your Thanksgiving celebration? When the Pilgrims had theirs, the food was very local, maize, turkey etc, so you'd really be doing Thanksgiving the way it was done in the 17th century.
> 
> We'd like to see the menu - it could be very interesting.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving


Thats a great idea but sort of makes the point of sharing an authentic American Thanksgiving meal go down the drain. Last year in Colorado I made Mole Poblano turkey for my American friends but this year I wanted to share what it is like in every home in the States in November. Local food is amazing and that's typically all I cook with but I was hoping to invite our friends over for an authentic American meal not an authentic Mexican meal!


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## Guest

Thanks everyone! It sounds like I might find some things at Che otherwise I think I'll skip the idea for this year and plan for next year when I have more time. I know a friend whose neighbor raises turkeys so all we have to do is get fresh but I think it will arrive complete with feathers and I'm not prepared to deal with that while we fix up an old house. Maybe we'll have a quiet dinner at home. We do have a lot to be thankful for and that is what it is all about.


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## AlanMexicali

*Turkey feathers*



Raquel'sCocina said:


> Thanks everyone! It sounds like I might find some things at Che otherwise I think I'll skip the idea for this year and plan for next year when I have more time. I know a friend whose neighbor raises turkeys so all we have to do is get fresh but I think it will arrive complete with feathers and I'm not prepared to deal with that while we fix up an old house. Maybe we'll have a quiet dinner at home. We do have a lot to be thankful for and that is what it is all about.


One of the charms of living in Mexico is someone will gladly de-feather and clean out a turkey for $20.00 pesos.


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## TundraGreen

Raquel'sCocina said:


> ... what it is like in every home in the States in November ...


Well, maybe not EVERY home in the states.

Sorry, I couldn't resist the nitpicking.


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## PinkChili2

I did the same thing for Canadian Thanksgiving. I found whole frozen turkeys at Costco and Sams...made my own stuffing (only takes about 15 min to make and stuff the bird)...and made cranberry sauce from dried cranberries as I could find NOTHING else. I highly doubt you'll find fresh or frozen cranberries here as they are not grown in México and there is no market for them...other than expats once or twice a year. No pumpkin pie...can't stand it...so I cannot help you there. I know it's not the same, but, you could make a sweet potato pie. I made candied yams and ALL my mexican friends went crazy for it.

If you're interested, let me know and I'll post recipies for you.


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## Guest

AlanMexicali said:


> One of the charms of living in Mexico is someone will gladly de-feather and clean out a turkey for $20.00 pesos.


hmmmm now that's interesting! I hadn't thought of that! Thanks!


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## Guest

PinkChili2 said:


> I did the same thing for Canadian Thanksgiving. I found whole frozen turkeys at Costco and Sams...made my own stuffing (only takes about 15 min to make and stuff the bird)...and made cranberry sauce from dried cranberries as I could find NOTHING else. I highly doubt you'll find fresh or frozen cranberries here as they are not grown in México and there is no market for them...other than expats once or twice a year. No pumpkin pie...can't stand it...so I cannot help you there. I know it's not the same, but, you could make a sweet potato pie. I made candied yams and ALL my mexican friends went crazy for it.
> 
> If you're interested, let me know and I'll post recipies for you.


Yes, please post recipes! Thanks!


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## dpebbles

Do they sell sweet potatoes here? Maybe I've seen them and just don't know the spanish name?


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## conorkilleen

We are doing Turkey with a Mexican multi-chili-tomato based baste and a homemade stuffing that includes cebolla, chilis, garlic, and chopped up fresh bread from the local baker. We have already found and bought the Turkey from Soriana (was looking for free range but could not find). We are mixing up the side dishes this year to include mashed potatoes, squash, and homemade apple pie. Nobody in our little family like cranberries so we are not going out of our way to find them.


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## Isla Verde

dpebbles said:


> Do they sell sweet potatoes here? Maybe I've seen them and just don't know the spanish name?


Of course, they do. Look for _camotes in your local market or supermarket. Sweet potatoes were first cultivated in Mexico and Central America long before they started showing up for sale NOB._


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## TundraGreen

Isla Verde said:


> Of course, they do. Look for _camotes_ in your local market or supermarket. Sweet potatoes were first cultivated in Mexico and Central America long before they started showing up for sale NOB.


They also sell them cooked and candied in the Panaderias if you are looking to save time.


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## conorkilleen

TundraGreen said:


> They also sell them cooked and candied in the Panaderias if you are looking to save time.


yep. Our local bakery has a candied product that is a little too sweet for our liking. We may pass on the yams this year also, but if we decide to get them then the HEB has a mountain of them for the Monterrey folk. 

Its crazy here...Halloween was a HUGE deal and right now the X-mas decorations are out full steam. I have only seen a few Thanksgiving decorations here and there but they were pretty generic, more like fall house fashion meets sad turkey cartoon that obviously doesn't care about the holiday (for apparent reasons). Seems that there are quite a few regios here in MTY that like the thanksgiving holiday for the food, football, and booze. A few of my underlings are actually taking the Thursday and Friday off work....Thursday to eat and watch football, then they are driving up to San Antonio and Mcallen for Black Friday shopping. They are more excited about it than I am.


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## Guest

conorkilleen said:


> yep. Our local bakery has a candied product that is a little too sweet for our liking. We may pass on the yams this year also, but if we decide to get them then the HEB has a mountain of them for the Monterrey folk.
> 
> Its crazy here...Halloween was a HUGE deal and right now the X-mas decorations are out full steam. I have only seen a few Thanksgiving decorations here and there but they were pretty generic, more like fall house fashion meets sad turkey cartoon that obviously doesn't care about the holiday (for apparent reasons). Seems that there are quite a few regios here in MTY that like the thanksgiving holiday for the food, football, and booze. A few of my underlings are actually taking the Thursday and Friday off work....Thursday to eat and watch football, then they are driving up to San Antonio and Mcallen for Black Friday shopping. They are more excited about it than I am.


It is after all a completely American holiday. I wouldn't expect to find Thanksgiving Decorations celebrating the pilgrims first harvest in Plymouth here in Mexico. It is nice to see that there are a few things for the expats though and for this I am VERY thankful!


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## conorkilleen

Raquel'sCocina said:


> It is after all a completely American holiday. I wouldn't expect to find Thanksgiving Decorations celebrating the pilgrims first harvest in Plymouth here in Mexico. It is nice to see that there are a few things for the expats though and for this I am VERY thankful!


I found it was odd that they would have those sorts of decorations...they are not really Thanksgiving specific rather generic "turkey" shaped knick knacks and some cornicopia shaped table decorations. Kinda more fall-ish with thanksgiving hints. we are close to the border, but not that close.


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> I found it was odd that they would have those sorts of decorations...they are not really Thanksgiving specific rather generic "turkey" shaped knick knacks and some cornicopia shaped table decorations. Kinda more fall-ish with thanksgiving hints. we are close to the border, but not that close.


In Mexico City Thanksgiving has definitely not made any inroads, at least not among the Mexicans I know. It sounds like the store selling the "Thanksgiving" knick-knacks is trying to introduce the idea of Thanksgiving in hopes that Mexicans will start spending money on ceramic turkeys and such.


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## conorkilleen

Isla Verde said:


> In Mexico City Thanksgiving has definitely not made any inroads, at least not among the Mexicans I know. It sounds like the store selling the "Thanksgiving" knick-knacks is trying to introduce the idea of Thanksgiving in hopes that Mexicans will start spending money on ceramic turkeys and such.


thats exactly what they are doing. I do some consumer analysis for my job and believe me that si how the whole Halloween thing happened here in MX years ago. They found a sacred Mexican festival to tie the Halloween consumerism to and BAM....a money making holiday season that keeps the market thriving through the last quarter of the year..Mexican Independance day--->Halloween-----> X-mas. They are trying to introduce it slow it seems, but I bet they are having a hard time tying Thanksgiving to any thing related to Mexico.

May be the starting of a test market however. NO WAY Mexicans will go for Thanksgiving, but if they are close enough to the border they WILL take advantage of Black Friday.


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> thats exactly what they are doing. I do some consumer analysis for my job and believe me that si how the whole Halloween thing happened here in MX years ago. They found a sacred Mexican festival to tie the Halloween consumerism to and BAM....a money making holiday season that keeps the market thriving through the last quarter of the year..Mexican Independance day--->Halloween-----> X-mas. They are trying to introduce it slow it seems, but I bet they are having a hard time tying Thanksgiving to any thing related to Mexico.
> 
> May be the starting of a test market however. NO WAY Mexicans will go for Thanksgiving, but if they are close enough to the border they WILL take advantage of Black Friday.


Bingo! Thanks for confirming my suspicions of how the celebration of Halloween got started in Mexico. At least, it hasn't supplanted the celebration of Día de Muertos, yet. I have a friend who's an assistant principal at a public high school in Mexico City. Every year they have an _ofrenda_-making contest for the students and will not allow any Halloween-inspired motifs to be used on the altars. Of course, they do allow the students to throw a Halloween party at the school as a kind of compromise.


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## Guest

conorkilleen said:


> I found it was odd that they would have those sorts of decorations...they are not really Thanksgiving specific rather generic "turkey" shaped knick knacks and some cornicopia shaped table decorations. Kinda more fall-ish with thanksgiving hints. we are close to the border, but not that close.


Yeah, I think even being somewhat close to the border would make a difference. Similar to how we had a huge Cinco de Mayo celebration in Colorado but never had one in Pennsylvania. Interesting.


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## conorkilleen

Raquel'sCocina said:


> Yeah, I think even being somewhat close to the border would make a difference. Similar to how we had a huge Cinco de Mayo celebration in Colorado but never had one in Pennsylvania. Interesting.


Don't even get me started on Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the US. Not that I don't think that other nations should not partake in other countries customs and festivities, its just that Cinco de Mayo in the USA is just for drinking at bars. Ask 20 people in an average US bar on the 5th what significance Cinco de Mayo has. See what response you get


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## Isla Verde

conorkilleen said:


> Don't even get me started on Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the US. Not that I don't think that other nations should not partake in other countries customs and festivities, its just that Cinco de Mayo in the USA is just for drinking at bars. Ask 20 people in an average US bar on the 5th what significance Cinco de Mayo has. See what response you get


If they have idea at all, they'll say it's the Mexican 4th of July. I've read news stories that say that lots of Mexican-Americans think the same thing since they've learned nothing about the Batalla de Puebla in school.


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## PinkChili2

*It is after all a completely American holiday...*

Now why on earth would you want to say that with a Canadian milling about...LOL???


The claim of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States, and even the Americas has often been a subject of debate. Author and teacher Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon, of the University of Florida, have argued that the earliest attested "Thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.

Similarly, many historians point out that the first thanksgiving celebration in the United States was held in Virginia, and not in Plymouth. Thanksgiving services were routine in what was to become the Commonwealth of Virginia as early as 1607.[15] A day of Thanksgiving was codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia in 1619. (from Wikipedia) 

--------

Modern Thanksgiving in North America originates from European and Native traditions to celebrate the harvest season and give thanks. The first Thanksgiving celebration in Canada was held, by explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578, for an entirely different reason...to celebrate success on his third attempt to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean from England.

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I'll post the recipes tomorrow.


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## dpebbles

I am ok with making do for Thanksgiving...I'll make a trip into Leon to the HEB and get what I can. My children will expect some sort of feast even though hubby will be working. I am however going to miss black friday deals. I used to love the thrillof getting cheap electronics and whatnot for the kids. When I firstmoved here the prices of electronics and toys floored me. I took my14 year old to buy a newly released video game yesterday and paid 999 pesos for it. I had to laugh because in the states I would never have paid even retail prices much less over the retail price!
Thanks for the info on the sweet potatoes..I'll make sure to look now that Iknow the name. 
For those who have baked turkeys here before any adviceon the cooking temps and whatnot? We are high in altitude here and I have the worst time getting things to turn out right.


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## Guest

High elevation shouldn't have an effect on roasting (as opposed to baking which is severely effected by elevation.) We lived in Colorado, anywhere from 9,000 feet to 5,000 feet and I've roasted many holiday turkeys without any problem or adjustments. (cake baking is a whole different story!). What I have found as a difficulty in Mexico is the propain gas doesn't burn as hot and the ovens don't typically have any kind of temperature gauge. I am hoping to have an oven thermometer sent from the states. In any case, I wouldn't blame elevation for everything, i couldnl't even boil water when we first moved here! I didn't realize that propain burns a lot cooler than natural gas in the states. Anway, I don't have any suggestions since I haven't done this yet but I think the problems you'll encounter with roasting will be oven temp and not elevation.


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## TundraGreen

Raquel'sCocina said:


> ... and the ovens don't typically have any kind of temperature gauge. I am hoping to have an oven thermometer sent from the states. ...


 I found an oven thermometer at Sears.


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## PinkChili2

I just got an oven thermometer as well...though it was from a specialty store that sells restaurant equipment.

Yes, my turkey took approx 45 min longer than it would have at home.

Then I burned brownies, then I got the oven thermometer. Exact same one as I had back in Canada.


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## AlanMexicali

*Stove*



PinkChili2 said:


> I just got an oven thermometer as well...though it was from a specialty store that sells restaurant equipment.
> 
> Yes, my turkey took approx 45 min longer than it would have at home.
> 
> Then I burned brownies, then I got the oven thermometer. Exact same one as I had back in Canada.


I found the same thing in cooking times. I always had an oven thermometer hanging on the rack and one day discovered if I take a reading when the oven turned on again, easy to hear, and took a reading when the oven turned off I found there was a large difference. Also my 6 year old stove that I bought was the cheapest I could find. I needed to turn it up. The gasket on the door is not very tight.


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## RVGRINGO

Many stoves here are not insulated very well, if at all. They are usually installed in between concrete, so it is not a problem. However, with the advent of wood-sided cabinetry from the big box stores, some have been scorched by uninsulated ovens.


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## AlanMexicali

RVGRINGO said:


> Many stoves here are not insulated very well, if at all. They are usually installed in between concrete, so it is not a problem. However, with the advent of wood-sided cabinetry from the big box stores, some have been scorched by uninsulated ovens.


I would assume the stove/oven I bought is not worth 1 cent more than I paid just because of all the extra propane I have used over the years. Time to replace it. I use it quite a bit.


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## PinkChili2

*Recipe*

Cranberry sauce from dried cranberries is a little different, but, it works!

1 cup dried cranberries
zest of 2 oranges (optional)
2 cups FRESH SQUEEZED orange juice (OJ from a carton will give the sauce a funny and bitter taste)
2 tsp sugar (optional...see note below)
juice of one large or 2 small limes (optional)

Chuck it all in a pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until it reaches the desired texture and thickness.

Makes approx 2 cups.

For shorter cooking time, soak the dried cranberries in the juice for a few hours or overnight.

"Craisins" are already very sweet so if you use them you probably won't need to add sugar unless you like a really sweet sauce. I recommend you leave the adding of sugar until close to the end and do it to taste.

I didn't soak the cranberries...next time I will to shorten my cooking time.

OJ can be substituted for Cranberry juice or water or a mixture of all 3. Any water used will give it a less intense flavor.


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## Guest

TundraGreen said:


> I found an oven thermometer at Sears.


SEARS WHERE???? I have been looking for one in every city I've been in but I haven't looked in Sears. I would be SO happy to find one!


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## Isla Verde

Raquel'sCocina said:


> SEARS WHERE???? I have been looking for one in every city I've been in but I haven't looked in Sears. I would be SO happy to find one!


There are a number of Sears stores in Mexico City though living in Taxco, that might not be useful information for you.


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## PinkChili2

The closest Sears to Taxco is in Cuernavaca...approx 1 hour away.

It's located at Plaza Cuernavaca...Col. Lomas de la Selva


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## Ken Wood

I applaud your efforts to maintain some of your traditional customs in your new home. I moved here from Alaska, and I have fond memories of Mexican families there (yes, there is a huge Mexican population in Alaska) introducing me to, among many other things, Dia de Muertos, to the slightly different timing of the Christmas celebration, to what a real taco should look like, and maybe most of all, calling me at 10:00 at night and inviting me over to share a huge pot of freshly cooked pozole. There is truly a need for us to learn and join in the customs of our new country, but there is certainly room to delight our new neighbors by sharing with them some ****** customs also.


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## conorkilleen

Ken Wood said:


> I applaud your efforts to maintain some of your traditional customs in your new home. I moved here from Alaska, and I have fond memories of Mexican families there (yes, there is a huge Mexican population in Alaska) introducing me to, among many other things, Dia de Muertos, to the slightly different timing of the Christmas celebration, to what a real taco should look like, and maybe most of all, calling me at 10:00 at night and inviting me over to share a huge pot of freshly cooked pozole. There is truly a need for us to learn and join in the customs of our new country, but there is certainly room to delight our new neighbors by sharing with them some ****** customs also.


My Mexican wife of 5 years had never eaten a stuffed turkey or celebrated Thanksgiving in any way shape or form before she met me. She said she hated turkey and it was only good for making lunch meat. Well, the first year I decided to get her involved in the cooking and we slathered that sucker up in a chile baste and stuffed it with some spicy minced pepper and onion stuffing. All I can say is that she is now a fan of the Mexi-Turkey (so am I) and we both look forward to this time of year because of it. 

Thanksgiving to me and my family was about family and friends coming together to eat and celebrate...exactly what Mexicans LOVE to do as well!!!,,,,right!!????.

So we have infused the two cultures and tastes into one that everyone can enjoy. We have some local MTY friends that we invited over for Thanksgiving and they were not thilled about the idea of having turkey either, but I'm sure our bird will be just fine for thier taste buds and make a few fans.


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## Guest

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful input. I've really enjoyed everyone's ideas, recipes, and what you all do in Mexico for Thanksgiving. I'm sure our Mexican friends will have a blast every year as we invite them into our home to celebrate together and eat a huge meal and play games. It's been one of the most delightful (and surprising) aspects of our move here to share something that is common to us (strawberry short cake or chocolate chip cookies!) and have it be this exotic amazing dish to our Mexican friends. Every time I try to cook a Mexican meal our friends are disapointed to be eating something familiar despite it being so yummy. They keep begging to have the exotic American meals that I have served them. This aspect has been such a delight and I'm sure our Thanksgiving feast will be a hit as well. Nothing like good food and great friends! 

Thanks for sharing everyone! I've really enjoyed your input! (And I'm headed to Sears for an oven thermometer!)


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## MJB5293

*thanksgiving in Mexico*

check this web site and see if one is close to you, you will be able to find all you need Aladino's - Del mundo sus delicias

turkey at cosco butter ball
cranberry at superama 
Casco also make a good pumpkin pie
i did this last year and they loved all the food but the bread dressing this year i am doing cornbread dressing. 

good luck


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## AlanMexicali

*Turkey recipes on TV today.*



MJB5293 said:


> check this web site and see if one is close to you, you will be able to find all you need Aladino's - Del mundo sus delicias
> 
> turkey at cosco butter ball
> cranberry at superama
> Casco also make a good pumpkin pie
> i did this last year and they loved all the food but the bread dressing this year i am doing cornbread dressing.
> 
> good luck


I have seen a couple of popular Mexican daily TV shows having turkey recipes today. How can this be tasty:

Take a Butterball turkey and use a mustard orange juice mixture and inject this into the poor thing and glaze it with this concoction while roasting.

Take 1 1/2 liters of prune juice and a large handful of dried prunes in the pan and roast it.

Or is it just me being a purist?


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## DNP

AlanMexicali said:


> I have seen a couple of popular Mexican daily TV shows having turkey recipes today. How can this be tasty:
> 
> Take a Butterball turkey and use a mustard orange juice mixture and inject this into the poor thing and glaze it with this concoction while roasting.
> 
> Take 1 1/2 liters of prune juice and a large handful of dried prunes in the pan and roast it.
> 
> Or is it just me being a purist?


It's just you being a purist.

Those do sound good though.


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## AlanMexicali

*Prunes*



DNP said:


> It's just you being a purist.
> 
> Those do sound good though.


Thinking about the prune juice and prunes turkey recipe I now might see why it would sound good to some people.


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## RVGRINGO

The use of prunes and prune juice in roasting a turkey is the pre-thanksgiving geriatric recipe. The true thanksgiving comes a couple of hours after dinner.


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## AlanMexicali

*Prunes*



RVGRINGO said:


> The use of prunes and prune juice in roasting a turkey is the pre-thanksgiving geriatric recipe. The true thanksgiving comes a couple of hours after dinner.


That what was what I was implying. LOL


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