An International Thanksgiving

Since we can't be there to say it in person-

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Perfect turkey and stuffing- wish I could say I made it!

Green bean casserole- I did make this one, and it got great comments.

We celebrated with turkey with mushroom sauce, green bean casserole, baked fennel, sweet potatoes, an Austrian dessert I can't even begin to spell, ice cream sandwiches...and a craft!

While everything cooked I led the group in making hand turkeys :)

God has given us such great housemates here at NOOC- and tonight it was more evident than ever. We are grateful for the "family" we have here!

This was just half of the people at Thanksgiving dinner

And of course, we are so thankful for our families and friends back home. We love you all dearly and miss you this Thanksgiving!

Love,
Claire & Brandon

Carrot Coriander Soup

Do you ever think, "What in the world am I going to do with all this leftover coriander?"

No? Oh, ok. Well, even if you don't have any extra to get rid of, this is a great recipe if you want a healthy, yummy winter soup.

I made it a few weeks ago after I bought some coriander at the Farmer's Market for salsa and had a bunch left over. I searched online and landed on the BBC's Good Food page featuring this recipe with carrots, potatoes, and - you guessed it!- coriander. Feel free to visit the link for the original recipe, but I'm going to give it below as well, because some of the measurements are in "British" on their site. (You know- metric).

You'll need:
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 potato, chopped
- 1 lb. of carrots (about 4 large carrots, 6-8 small ones)
- 5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock*
- a handful of coriander
- half-and-half**
*You might say, "Five cups is an odd measurement for broth." I agree. You know what's even weirder? 1.2 Liters. I have become the queen of rounding over here because everything is measured differently. (Warning- rounding only works with cooking. Baking is a whole notha' subject.)

**This is optional:  half-and-half automatically makes it a little less healthy, but creamier.

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the ground coriander and potato, then cook for 1 minute. Add the carrots and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until carrots are tender.
2. Transfer to a food processor and add the coriander, and blitz until smooth. (Blitz- such a great word. By the way, you may need to do this in batches if you don't have a very big food processor. You can also use an immersion blender  - they're perfect for soups.) Return to the pan, taste, and add salt if necessary, then reheat and serve (with some tasty bread on the side!)

Here's the finished product:

I thought it was really good. Brandon thought it was pretty good. :) Try it out and let me know what you think!

I know you guys would probably like to hear more about Brandon. Half of you readers are his family and friends and you're probably getting antsy reading about ladies' groups and palaces. Since I'll be writing about his life (because bless his heart, he's too busy to blog!) I figured he should have some say in it too. A post is coming- be watching for it!

"So how are you staying busy?"

The title is a question I get all the time. It's a natural thing to ask, but I'm sometimes fumbling for an answer, mostly because my days are so different from one another! Usually I just give a brief response on what I did that day. I thought I might give y'all a day-by-day look at my planned weekly events.

Monday: From about 9 a.m. to noon I help with a crèche, or nursery, at St. Andrews Church. Anywhere from 10-20 kids ranging in age from 7 months to 4 years come while their mums head to a Bible study around the corner. (Don't worry- I have the help of about 6 way more experienced people!) The kids are adorable, though I sometimes struggle to understand their mix of baby talk and a British accent. 

Tuesday: At about 12:50 I start walking to the Oxford Club for a drawing class that begins at 1:15. I found out about this through the Oxford University Newcomers Club (OUNC- more on that in a second) and thought it might be fun to take a stab at drawing since I haven't done it in several years. We're using pencils this semester and learning basic concepts like shading and drawing proportions. It's been fun to draw again but I still need a lot of help! 

Our assignment from week 2: an apple. I hope I didn't have to tell you that though.

Wednesday: The OUNC hosts a "Coffee Morning" from 10:30-12 for anyone who is a spouse or partner of a visiting student or professor. The group began in 1961 by women in the community wishing to help newly arrived internationals meet other people in Oxford and is run completely by volunteers. These ladies are not only very kind to take time out of their weeks to help others feel "at home" in a new country, but are also really entertaining while they do it. 
After the Coffee Morning I usually head over to Gloucester Green (pronounced "gloster") for the weekly farmers market featuring fresh fruit and veg at great prices. Probably my favorite reason for going is simply to experience the vendors yelling, "BA-NA-NERS" and "FRESH MAYNGOES- TWO FOR ONE FEFTY". 

Thursday: At 12:30 I meet Brandon at Wycliffe Hall for a quick lunch before heading to a Bible study for wives at 1:15. Almost all the women in there have kids and are a little older than me, but it's good to be around them and learn from them. Even though the study through 2 Corinthians has been good, I think hearing their prayer requests each week is what helps me so much. You hear requests for their babies to sleep through the night, and for patience when their toddler throws temper tantrums. But you also see the joy on their children's faces (and their own) when they pick their child up from the crèche afterward. 

Friday: On Friday evenings Brandon has a ministry assignment with a nearby school, but usually Brandon has a more open schedule on Fridays and we can spend some of the day together. 

Interspersed with that is reading; photographing places or editing pictures; trying my hand at calligraphy; grocery shopping; running through the University Parks or at Port Meadow; drawing; occasional babysitting; studying the Bible; cooking (for us or to share); having lunch or tea with friends; hosting or being hosted for dinners; doing laundry; spending too much time on facebook; reading blogs and blogging*; skyping our friends and families; and solving all the world's problems with Brandon. (Ok, so maybe last one is a bit of a stretch). 

And then there are the unplanned moments spent hanging out in the kitchen with all of our housemates, which is always really fun. 

How could it not be fun with these guys?

There you have it- my ever-changing (but never dull) week.

*Can I just give a sweeping "THANKS!" for all the feedback you guys give on the blog?? It is so encouraging to hear from you! I love the comments and feedback. 

Guy Fawkes Night

I think I first heard of Guy Fawkes Night last year, and that was because Google mentioned it on their homepage. I'm not much of a history buff (even though I'd really like to be), and I've never seen V for Vendetta (I'm so uncool, I know).  But for the last few weeks, stores have been selling fireworks and colleges advertising fireworks displays. The Newcomers' Club also had a little blip about the holiday in their "upcoming events" pamphlet telling all of us non-locals about the holiday. In summary, it told the story of Guy Fawkes, a man who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5th, 1605. What caught my eye is that the way they celebrate that not happening is by holding fireworks displays and bonfires where Guy Fawkes is "burned in effigy."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did I read that correctly? I understand that this man was, by definition, a terrorist, but do you really want your children to "burn a Guy"? Anyway....

There's a lot more to this story. Guy Fawkes was just one of a group of English Catholic conspirators who planned to blow up Parliament - truly, the leader of this group was Sir Robert Catesby. This assassination attempt, known as the Gunpowder Plot, was to happen while King James I and other government leaders were there opening the new session. James, like his predecessor, Elizabeth I, persecuted Catholics by fining them for refusing to attend Protestant services. Catesby, Fawkes, and eleven other men were hoping to restore Catholic power in England by killing the king, kidnapping his daughter to serve as the "queen", and starting a revolution in the countryside.
But there were too many people involved, and not surprisingly somebody leaked the news. The night before the new session, Guy Fawkes was found by authorities in the cellar of the House of Lords guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. Not too long after that the others involved were either killed resisting arrest or captured. The eight men who were still alive were tried January 27, 1606, found guilty of high treason, and two days later were brutally executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.
Ironically, even though most English Catholics were horrified to hear about the plot, more anti-Catholic legislation was introduced- exactly the opposite of what these men were trying to attain.

There's your history lesson for today.

I don't know how many Brits know the whole of that story, but one thing we know after Friday night is that they love fireworks. The display we saw at nearby Wolfson College lasted for twenty minutes! I kept thinking that we were seeing the finale and it just kept on going.
We took a few photos:

Prepared for the cold weather; unprepared for the amazing-ness of the fireworks we were about to see .

There were men down there in the middle of all of this! Crazy guys.

Hyperdrive! 

I look kind of crazy in this picture, but B did such a great job capturing the fireworks in the background.

We actually didn't stay around for the bonfire afterward, but headed back to NOOC for soup and rolls. It was a fun evening, even if the way they celebrate is a bit, um, intense.

Blenheim Palace

A few weekends ago, we visited Blenheim Palace with some of our fellow residents at NOOC. 

A group photo of 107 and 117 residents

Background:

-Located in Woodstock, just a few miles from where we live

-Built between 1705 and 1724 

-Gifted to John Churchill (the 1st Duke of Marlborough) by Queen Anne for his success in the Battle of Blenheim 

-The birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill

-Still serves as a home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough, and as mausoleum and national monument

-Named a World Heritage Site in 1987 (which is a pretty big deal, considering the Statue of Liberty and Pyramids of Giza are also on that list)

I think the most exquisite "house" I've ever been in was probably the White House, so walking into the courtyard I was amazed at the size and grandeur of this place. 

Like the truck in front? I don't. But I guess it gives you some idea of the massiveness of the house.

As we walked up to the entry, I caught a glimpse of something very strange:

Eyes? 

Six eyes? Explanation please? 

"The eyes were originally painted in 1928 for Gladys Deacon, the American-born second wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough . The reason for the unusal eyes being painted remains something of a mystery and has baffled the historians as there is no written documentation about them...they are believed to be the eyes of the Duke and Duchess watching over the Palace."

Right. Moving on....


Initially we wandered through several rooms that were kind of a tribute to Winston Churchill, featuring pictures, his letters, paintings and cards, and even the bed and room in which he was born. From there we toured the house with a guide who knows more about the history of this house and family than I will ever know about my own. (In my defense, their history was probably a little more well-documented).  I was amazed as she effortlessly listed off the dukes and their wives and children as far back as the 17th century.  We walked from room to room as she pointed out the differences in the ceiling patterns and furniture styles. It is an extravagant place where every tapestry, painting, and even chair has a story to tell. 


For security reasons, we couldn't take any pictures once inside, but if you want to see pictures from the interior, here is a good starting point. (Or you can google it. Or wiki it. It's going to give way more detail than I will here.)

After that we were free to look around at the grounds and gardens by ourselves. Here are some highlights.
*Side note: Gardens here are not places to plant squash and tomatoes, but closer to what we Southerners call "backyards"- except they're really exquisite, lush backyards. A Brit might scoff at that definition, but it gets the point across for all us simple folk. 

Brandon, overjoyed that the grand tour is over

Brandon was very sweet to go along even though this is not his favorite way to spend a Saturday, especially with an essay looming! 
Have you been wondering how all that is going? Or thinking that all we did was take trips and hang out with our neighbors? Don't worry- updates on how we're both spending our days are coming soon!