Guus Bosman

We went to the National Gallery of Art this afternoon. It was the second visit for Nora and we went to see the modern art section this time. To be honest, I am not a big fan of modern art but Nora liked it a lot. She especially enjoyed watching the mobiles and the large brightly colored paintings.

Afterwards we went back to the West wing of the museum with classical paintings. I always enjoy watching the Dutch masters. We also saw a David-Apollo statue that was on loan from a museum in Florence.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Zane family.

Milan and Nadia left on Thursday morning to New York, so Sasha, Nora and I spent a few days alone and we drove to Secaucus on Sunday afternoon. Packing the luggage took a lot longer than we had expected -- Nora adds quite a few extra items to our packing list. We left around 4.30 pm and had dinner at a highway stop in Delaware. Nora slept most of the time. She was getting a little bored at times but we sang songs and Sasha played with her. We arrived in Secaucus around 10.00 pm.

Jonathan and Irena moved to a new house (in the same complex) and spent the last two months renovating it. The result is beautiful. It was fun to compare the new house to the old one, which has partially the same layout. Nora and her cousins loved spending time together and it was great to see the Zane family.

On Monday we prepared the budni vecher dinner. Nadia made a very delicious pitka -- a recipe I will have to borrow -- and it was a great evening. Nora had some trouble adjusting to sleep on a new bed.

The next morning there were presents under the tree. It was great to see the kids enjoying the gifts. Nora had her first Christmas present ever, and she enjoyed opening it -- although she was distracted by the Santa hat I was wearing. She got great presents, including a pink cuddle cushion, new clothes, beautiful wooden games and several Dutch books.

Nora showed off her new skills. Milan and Nadia have been teaching her: "Колко голяма ще станеш? Толкова голяма!" ("How tall will you be? THIS tall!") and Nora now raises her arms to show how tall. When Irena said "chao chao" to say goodnight, Nora duly waived her little arm. The next day at the dinner time I asked her "Kun jij al pappa zeggen?", and to much applause Nora then repeated "pappa"!

We drove back on Christmas day and there was little traffic. We left at 5.30 pm and arrive at 9.40 pm -- a record.

Just like in the States, turkey is a popular dish for Christmas in Bulgaria. However in Bulgaria the turkey is roasted on top of a thick layer of sauerkraut, which makes for a wonderful side-dish. In Bulgarian, this dish is called пуйка с кисело зеле.

The turkey is served with a side of the sauerkraut and raw smashed garlic. It makes for an incredibly juicy and delicious combination. It is popular throughout Bulgaria but there are local variations to the recipe -- in other places the sauerkraut is mixed with rice, or the turkey itself is stuffed with rice. This recipe is from my parents-in-law in the Plovdiv region.

Ingredients:

• A turkey
• Sauerkraut (shredded). There is no need for fancy sauerkraut here -- I used a store brand and it came out great. For a meal of 6 people, you'll need about 3 lbs, though I often use 5 or 6 lbs.
• Salt, oil. Don't be shy with oil -- a cup of oil is not unheard of. Canola oil is most often used in Bulgaria.

Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly, and squeeze somewhat dry. Don't overdo it -- truly dry sauerkraut loses its flavor. Clean and pat dry the turkey, then put oil and salt on the skin and inside. If you are used to using other herbs and spices, that is fine also but keep in mind that the sauerkraut will take on their flavor. You'll get the most authentic (and delicious) result with just salt. Truss the turkey and place it on top of a layer of sauerkraut. Cover the baking dish with loose foil and bake as you would normally do. Every 30 minutes or so, take off the foil and baste the turkey with the juices and, as needed, some more oil. You'll find that after an hour or so, there will be a lot of juice coming from the sauerkraut.

When the turkey is done it will most likely be "swimming" in a bath of juice. Take the turkey out of the dish and place it on a rack. Now, scoop the juice from the baking dish -- save this for future cooking, it freezes well -- but leave the sauerkraut with a little bit of juice. Place the baking dish with the kraut back in the oven, in the middle rack. Now, use the oven's broiler for 30 to 60 minutes or so, while stirring the sauerkraut every 5 minutes. This will dry it out and give it a bit of a crunch.

While the turkey is cooling off and the sauerkraut is baking, smash a couple of cloves of garlic in a small dish.

Serve the turkey with a royal portion of the sauerkraut, and mix the kraut with the garlic to taste. Добер апетит!

Friday night Nora and I spent an evening together while Sasha and her parents went to a music evening at the Bulgarian Embassy. They saw ensemble Svitanya from Philadelphia and the local group Lyuti Chushki.

On Saturday morning we Skyped with Jaap and Mieke and then took Nora for a long walk. We saw two people that we know in the neighborhood, which is a nice feeling. Several houses are decorated for Thanksgiving with pumpkins and fall colors. Some houses are decorated more subtle than others.

In the evening Sasha and I went out for drinks and dinner.