This post hopefully ends the longest period of silence on the blog for the foreseeable future. Shortly after launching this blog in April, I got a case of heat exhaustion in the 100+ degree weather, and from then on I spent about 12 hours a day in bed for the remainder of my pregnancy. After giving birth and a few weeks of some postpartum health drama, we’re slowly easing into a new normal as a family of three. Here’s hoping that involves more regularity in sharing our overseas food life with you!

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This year is the first time in my life I will not be celebrating American Thanksgiving. Rather than spending a lot of extra work and money to create a meal that simply won’t be the same, we have decided to go out to eat this coming weekend. When my daughter is older and I want to help instill the nostalgia of American holidays in her little heart, I will put a more concerted effort into making American Thanksgiving special. But for now I’ll take a pass and spend my free time napping and studying Burmese instead.

However, if I were in the states for this, my favorite holiday of the calendar year, this is the dish I would be making. I created this dish in the springtime a couple years back, after hanging onto the last precious butternut squash of fall for many months. I like this dish for the sourness of the balsamic vinegar coupled with the textures of the feta cheese and the sweetness of the butternut squash. It was a squash well utilized, let me tell you. (And in case you were wondering, yes, you can save those squash for many months if you keep them clean and store them in a dry place. I hoarded this particular squash till March with no ill effects.)

Roasted Butternut Squash with Carmelized Onions

One butternut squash, cut into ¾–inch cubes

Olive oil

One medium sweet yellow onion, diced (a red onion works well too, if you prefer)

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 tablespoons of butter

2/3 cup of balsamic vinegar

A bunch of cilantro, chopped

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Toss the cubed squash with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast the squash in the oven until tender. (Temperature isn’t a big deal, so just roast the squash with your other Thanksgiving dish that is more “needy” in terms of temperature, and adjust accordingly. Roasting it at 300F will take a little over an hour until tender, roasting at 375-400 will take less than an hour.)

Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the diced onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add the vinegar. The vinegar should just barely cover the onion; if it doesn’t, add more vinegar until the onion is nearly submersed. Turn the heat to low and cook until the vinegar has reduced and the onions are carmelized, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to let the onions burn!

Place the roasted squash in a serving dish. Top with the carmelized onions, feta cheese, chopped cilantro, and more salt and pepper, if desired. Tastes great served warm or cold.

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And enjoy on my behalf, if you think of it! Other than the cilantro, the ingredients for this are not readily available here, so I will have to content myself with imagining these flavors for the time being.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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