5 Thanksgiving Recipes to Give Your Dinner an International Twist

Thanksgiving is coming: ovens are lit, turkeys are served, and the family reunited. Although it is a very heart-warming tradition, it also can be kind of repetitive with the same recipes and flavors every year. In fact, more and more families have been adding different dishes and styles to their Thanksgiving dinners.

Our country is home to many immigrants who have added their culinary touch to this celebration, so there’s a good reason to have a diverse Thanksgiving with these international recipes for dinner. So, if you wondering what to cook for thanksgiving, the following recipes are non-traditional thanksgiving dinner ideas, and while some of them are entirely foreign dishes, others are the traditional ones but using some exotic ingredients.

Hasselback potatoes

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, this Sweden recipe will be a fantastic side dish in your Thanksgiving dinner. These delicious potatoes are named after the Swedish restaurant Hasselback where it is said they were first served. This dish is one of the easiest to make, you just need four potatoes per portion, butter, some romano cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. To prepare, take the potatoes and slice them without crossing them completely until they form a small accordion (you can check here how they should look). Then add melted butter, salt, and pepper to taste and put them to bake. 

Full recipe here.

Warm Indian-spiced acorn squash salad

Acorn squash salad could be a known dish in Thanksgiving dinners, but have you tried adding Asian flavors? Pomegranate, date and a mixture of Indian spices called garam masala are the international ingredients that will make this salad an exotic dish that will surprise your guests. To prepare this salad, put the seasoned acorns in the oven, mix the remaining solid ingredients and spice up all of it with garam masala.

Full recipe here.

Sweet and spicy Korean braised turkey

If you’re feeling adventurous, try this Korean version of the famous big bird. It’s a big change: besides the sweet and spicy glaze (made with soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and garlic) and the butternut squash stuffing (with chestnuts, glutinous rice, and jujube dates), this turkey is cooked on the stove instead of the much-used oven. It’s definitely a recipe that you should review carefully but it is worth it, especially if your guests are foreigners and want to surprise them.

Full recipe here.

Filipino lumpia

If you want just a little change in your Thanksgiving dinner, these Filipino appetizers will combine wonderfully with the traditional turkey. This dish is the Filipino version of rolled eggs and is easy to prepare as it is for it to melt in your mouth. You’ll need a pound of ground pork, onions, cabbage, little carrots, and most importantly, lumpia wrappers that you can find in your nearest Asian grocer. Once rolled and fried, cut them in half and serve them with your favorite sweet dipping sauce. Your guests will love them!

Full recipe here.

Dulce de leche hazelnut pumpkin pie

The beloved by all pumpkin pie with a sweet Latin American twist. This recipe will guide you to do the hazelnut pastry, the pumpkin filling, and the dulce de leche whipped cream. If you already know how to do these homemade pies, then you know half the recipe already! Serve this dessert covered with another portion of dulce de leche and hazelnuts for more delight.

Full recipe here.

Whether you add a single new dish to your dinner or change it completely, we hope your Thanksgiving celebration to be a moment of peace and joy with your loved ones. Happy Holidays!

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5 Standout Halloween Decoration Ideas for 2019

If there’s a time of the year where you’re not only allowed but encouraged to go absolutely over the top with your decoration, that time is Halloween. There really isn’t such a thing as too spooky! Since it’s fair to say that most of the neighborhood (and even people from outside) will visit your porch for at least a couple of minutes when trick-or-treating, it’s fair to say that you should go all out with your decorations as you do for the paint outside. And if you’re hosting a party, there’s no better time to consider indoor decorations as well.

Here are our ideas for spooky Halloween decoration ideas for outside your home. 

1. Bloody Handprint & Splatters Window Clings

Window decorations are fun and spooky to look at, and they can really tie the whole Halloween motif together for your house, but the real horror comes when it’s time to clean them up. Well, with these bloody hand and bloodstain window clings, there’s nothing to worry about! They stick to the windows all by themselves (no adhesive needed) and are just as easy to remove. Use them in any glossy, smooth surfaces such as glass doors, windows, and mirrors.

2. Plow & Hearth Cat-Shaped Pumpkin Holders Display Stand

Jack-o-lanterns are to Halloween what fish to the sea, yet some people prefer not to use them as decoration because they rot so quickly once they’ve been carved out. If you’re one of those people but still want to include pumpkins as part of your porch decorations, these holders in the shape of plump black cats are perfect for you! They come in big and small variants and they can hold a 15” and 5” width pumpkin respectively. Not only do they look original, but their eyes light up with the flip of a switch.

3. DIY Eyeball Halloween Wreath

Want to perfect your wreath-making skills and make an awesome DIY seasonal decoration at the same time? This tutorial by Polka Dot Chair is exactly what you need. All you really need is a wire wreath frame and chenille ties to make it, but the results are way more than the sum of its part. You start out tying bows onto the frame with the mesh ribbon, then securing each bow with a chenille tie. When the wreath is filled out, add a bunch of fabric bows in seasonal colors, and glue plastic eyeballs all over the place. It’s that easy!

4. 71″ Life Size Hanging Animated Talking Witch Prop Decor

Do you want the really scary outdoor Halloween decoration ideas? This awesome 6-feet tall animated witch will definitely scare your neighbors out of their costumes once they see and hear her come to life. Sound and touch will activate her, lighting up her eyes and making her say one of her pre-recorded phrases such as “You’re not scared, are you?”, “Boo!”, “Beware… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”, a crazy cackle, and more. Being so tall, this is a decoration that will tower over every child and even most of the adults, but it only needs a couple of AA batteries, so you don’t have to worry about “operating costs” with her. 

5. DIY Halloween Tombstones

This DIY gravestone tutorial by the talented Jen Woodhouse will let you transform your yard into a spooky cemetery without digging up an inch of dirt because these are all free-standing! The cool part is that you can do as many as you want and cover the whole lawn or simply place them in a small patch next to your porch for a spooky ambiance. They are greatly complemented by the use of a fog machine and some fake cobwebs, but let your own imagination run wild when installing them!

6. Gemmy Outdoor Inflatable Ghost

Lawn inflatables have become a staple of Halloween and this cute little ghost will surely become a staple of your decoration set. It isn’t a big and impractical one, either, coming in at just 3.5’ tall so it will be at eye level with most of the kids visiting your lawn. This is an excellent choice for people that want to decorate their house without going too hard on the scary stuff since the shape and face of the ghost are more on the silly side, and it does an excellent job of showing the way for trick-or-treaters.

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