Dublin Day 2...THANKSGIVING

Erica and I slept in Thursday morning and Helen and Paula went to work. After the best sleep of my life, I did not want to crawl out of bed. We lollygagged and had some breakfast of toast and a latte. Helen has a Nespresso machine, which makes the best cup of coffee/espresso in the world.

We got ready and then Helen picked us up to take us to meet Paula and Jimmy. Jimmy is one of Bernards 7 brothers. There are 8 boys and 1 girl that make up that family. They are all Paula and Helen's first cousins. How they are related to my Uncle Mike, I can't be sure. I am learning though. And by the time I leave, I will be be able to draw the family tree.

We went for a lovely drive along the coast and through Dublin, while Jimmy and Paula added anecdotes and stories about each place. We got out and walked along the Irish Sea for a tad, and took some pictures.

Sweet Paula!

Jimmy took us to grab a bit of lunch at the neatest cafeteria/restaurant called Avoca. It reminded me of a mixture of Stonehorse Market in Tulsa and Fresh Market. Everything is really fresh, natural, and presented beautifully. It has a beautiful shopping area outside of the cafe. You grab a tray and then walk through and pick what you want. I had a spinach and pine nut quiche (OH MY LANTA...I was in egg heaven) with a trio of their fresh salads. After we ate, Jimmy so kindly went and grabbed us all coffees and an assortment of sweets.

We then drove back and got ready for THANKSGIVING! Which Erica and I were actually heart broken about missing with our family until we arrived in Dublin. Like Paula and her kind, thoughtful self, she booked us a real Thanksgiving dinner in Dublin before we arrived. She sent me a message asking if we wanted to go out to this place that hosted Thanksgiving and I got so giddy inside. So we freshened up and headed to the Beaufield Mews for the BEST meal I have had in a long time. This definitely made up two fold for missing my first Thanksgiving of my life. Thank you Paula for being so incredibly thoughtful and gracious.

When we arrived at the Beaufield Mews Jimmy and his wife Aileen were waiting for us. The place was tastefully decorated for Christmas, but had American flag banners all around and a chalkboard greeting us!

The server came over and asked if we would like eggnog. I will say this was the best eggnog I have ever had. This was true, creamy, rich alcoholic eggnog and was absolutely brilliant. I am 98% certain the eggnog part was made in the restaurant.

While we waited for the table, sipping our eggnog, we were given an America quiz. There were 20 questions about the good ol USA and we were competing with the other guests for a bottle of wine. We seriously needed my dear old dad, Professor Klunder, to help us with the true American History. We had a ball talking through the questions, taking guesses and not using Google until the end to check some answers. I may have sang the "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona.." song that we all learned in 5th grade. Some of the questions were really hard, like "Name the place in the US with the first subway." The Irish family we were with were brilliant at the questions and it was seriously a blast. We laughed a lot and it was a great way to start our Thanksgiving dinner.

We had a chance to read the menu before we sat down, and I about cried tears of joy. This place was classy and tasteful. Aileen ordered us a bottle of wine, which was fabulous, and the first course came out. Sweetcorn and garam masala soup with spiced onion and carrot fritter. Have you ever had corn pudding? Well this tasted just like it, but creamier, richer, and decadent. Absolutely gorgeous.

 The second course was caramelized pumpkin and baby beet salad with tahini and walnut caviar. Again, this was just wonderful. So scrumptious and light.

 The third course was the main event. And main event it was. Free range Irish turkey with chestnut stuffing wrapped in smoked bacon with whiskey and sage jus. This was beautifully plated and much more elegant than the giant mess of my normal Thanksgiving plate of goodies. There was a beet cream sauce on the side that was silky and perfect with the turkey.

They brought out a string been dish and creamy potatoes that made me think of my moms green been casserole. They even had the crunchy onions on top. SO GOOD.

The fourth course was fig and pecan pie with balsamic and honey ice cream. It was somewhat like a sponge cake but the flavor was spot on to pecan pie, which is my specialty. The ice cream was beautiful and paired so nicely with the pie. It came with the cutest tiny American flag stuck in it and I felt like a million bucks. Ireland sure knows how to make an American girl who misses home feel at home.

We finished off with a coffee and sweet conversation. I wish I could explain how perfect the night was. I actually cried on Facetime with my parents a few days before we left because I was so sad to miss Thanksgiving. We were surrounded by Irish relations who treated us like royalty and wanted our American holiday to be special. Traveling is fun and exciting, but can feel lonely when you are surrounded by thousands of people you don't know. We had an intimate dinner with family, and there is simply nothing better than that. It was a night I will never forget, and I am so thankful to have celebrated with Helen, Paula, Jimmy and Aileen.