Puerto Rican Thanksgiving, and dolls for brown-skinned girls

We are all stuffed from my sister Alicia's Thanksgiving spread.  Every year, she comes up with a different theme for Thanksgiving dinner -- past years have included a Civil War Thanksgiving, things the Pilgrims and Native Americans actually ate, and (the year before we traveled to meet Anya Rashi) Indian-influenced Thanksgiving food.

This year's feast was all Puerto Rican food, and it was AMAZING.  She collected recipes and cooking tips from friends, and we had tostones (fried plaintains), pernil (pork shoulder roasted for 18 hours), arroz con gandules (rice with all kinds of spices, olives, onions, etc.), habichuelas (bean stew with bacon, olives, and more), a pear squash salad, and flan for dessert. 

Obviously, this woman loves to cook, and loves us well each year with her adventurous spirit!  As we thanked God during the holiday, she was definitely one of the blessings I am very grateful for.  We are very different in our interests and talents, and always joked that if we weren't related, we would never have met each other in high school or college (even though we went to the same university).  I am so glad that we are sisters.

Another fun "first" was helping Nathan make his first apple pie (so our allergic Aaron could have a non-egg dessert).  We had a lot of fun together, and he did a great job!  Being a creative sort, he had to carve an apple-o-lantern while cutting up the apples . . . :o)

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With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share a link to a blog post featuring a variety of brown-skinned dolls:
http://seacastlefamily.blogspot.com/2012/11/cute-dolls-for-brown-skinned-girls.html

I also have some beautifully-made dolls by another adoptive mom.  Lynda makes dolls from a variety of countries, and they're especially good for younger girls -- they are classic, soft, rag dolls that are perfect for hugging, squeezing, and sleeping with.  Each doll has a heart embroidered on it, in the colors of the country's flag.  If you'd like her contact info, leave a comment and I'll get you in touch with her.