[caption id="attachment_1459" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="As American as Apple Pie"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1134.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1459" title="Apple Pie " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1134.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

We had a super Thanksgiving dinner at the American College yesterday: 20 plus turkeys, 17 or 18 pumpkin and apple pies, 100s of dinner rolls, nine trays of stuffing, trays of carrot casserole, sweet potato souffle, roasted rosemary potatoes, two different green bean casseroles, gravy and a giant, giant pot of rich-buttery mashed potatoes.<!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_1460" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="A few of our many Turkeys"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1130.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1460" title="Turkey " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1130.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

Even as I write this list it sounds pretty crazy, a little overwhelming and seems to verge on the disgusting. Sure we had about 150 people to serve but any way you look at this is a lot of food.  I don't even want to think about how much butter went into these dishes.

[caption id="attachment_1463" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="One of our many, many pumpkin pies"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1142.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1463" title="Pumpkin Pie " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1142.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

I also don't really want to think about how much time went into this event either.  I started cooking stuffing on Friday at about 4:30pm and cooked until 11:30 that night.  Then I got up the next morning and was back at the college by 11am.  I'd finished my stuffing the night before so on Saturday I helped make pumpkin pie and apple pie.  I made two very, very large trays of whipped cream, I sliced apples, I washed dishes and then spent an hour reheating my stuffing.

[caption id="attachment_1461" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Rolls Rising"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1128.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1461" title="Rolls " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/img_1128.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

At 4pm the Bulgarians started showing up and by 5:30pm everyone had food.  Lots of it. It was such a nice experience.  Everyone was wishing each other a Happy Thanksgiving (even though at one point after serving probably 75 people I accidently wished someone a Happy New Year...).  To share such an American tradition like Thanksgiving with my Bulgarian colleagues was really heart warming.  It's a good thing because after you've put that many hours into cooking it's important to feel appreciated.  (Also I think I owe my MoM a big thank-you for all of the years that she's made a large part of the Thanksgiving dinner by herself.)