Looking for Thanksgiving ingredients

fauxfinndotcom · Post by **fauxfinndotcom** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 9:55 pm

American Thanksgiving is coming up next week and I am scrambling to find the following ingredients:

-Pumpkin pie filling (or just canned pumpkin)
-Frozen pie crusts
-Hershey's Kisses (or something like it)
-Creamed corn
-Fresh/frozen whole cranberries

Any ideas? I am in Tampere. Please. Help.

Thank you!

Megan

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Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:12 pm

A plane back home?

karen · Post by **karen** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:23 pm

Time for your rude awakening. Welcome to Finland.

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:11 pm

fauxfinndotcom wrote:-Pumpkin pie filling (or just canned pumpkin)
-Frozen pie crusts
-Hershey's Kisses (or something like it)
-Creamed corn
-Fresh/frozen whole cranberries

As you might guess, no Thanksgiving tradition exists here. (I'm a Finn so by default I don't even know what 'thanks' means

) Also not so, it seems, in the food dept. My guess is that your only -albeit slim- hope would be that e.g. the Tampere Stockmann food section would have an American "theme" week or something like that... they occasionally import stuff that's 'alien' here. (I'm not saying 'alien' in a negative sense - only to make a difference with 'is not available here', since the latter sort of implies that it somehow isn't 'normal' that they are not available

)

You might find frozen cranberries in the marsh areas - if there isn't too much snow. The cranberries are at their best when enjoyed 'in the wild' - once they've been slightly frost-bitten. But an easier and less barbaric way could be to check the Kauppahalli in Tampere (?) and/or in the freezers at supermarkets...

I'm not sure however whether merely the cranberries would make your day.

Well there might exist at least somewhat similar products, dunno. For example, would the Baci Perugina be anywhere close to the Hrutsch... whatever kisses? Those might be more readily on the shelves at Stockmann's. Pumpkin... I don't like pumpkin at all myself so I wouldn't know... pie crusts, certainly, but I have a hunch they 'wouldn't be the same'

Creamed Corn...? Sorry, no idea about that.

Good luck all the same...!

ScubaGirl · Post by **ScubaGirl** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:12 am

Creamed corn is easy to make on your own with ingredients you can find in Finland (I do it every year). Just use google for the recipe of your choice.

As for the other stuff, I suppose there isn't an American food shop in Tampere? If you happen to make it out to Helsinki before next thursday you can always purchase most of these items from a ridiculously overpriced shop in the world trade center called Behnfords. Or you can pay even more by shopping directly from their website:

http://www.behnfords.fi/

Thankfully I've got a guest coming in from the states on Monday, so I ordered all my thanksgiving food from him

Happy Thanksgiving (gobble gobble!)

Megstertex · Post by **Megstertex** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 2:32 am

I've gotten some snarky remarks about Thanksgiving here, but all I have to say is that it is a nice time of the year to reflect on the blessings in your life. It is difficult to explain to many, and as a child I really hated the holiday, but now, I really wish I could be with my family, it really makes me appreciate the things that I do have in life.

I have a lot of Libby's pumpkin filling, if you are lucky, you might find a real pumpkin at Stockmann to make from scratch. For the pie crust, I have improvised with crushed graham type cookies, and crushed roasted pecans and butter molded into a pie pan. If you don't get your crust perfect, you can compensate elsewhere, like making a maple whipped cream topping or something, it will turn out great.

The lingonberries can be more sour than cranberries, but if you make a garnish with orange zest, it tastes pretty similar.

I don't usually make creamed corn, but cornbread, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, sometimes garlic mashed potatoes, and for a frozen turkey in these crap electric ovens like mine, I turn it upside down to keep it moist, and marinate and stuff before hand. The Asian stores often have dried onions for green bean casserole.

To make stuffing from scratch, you'll have to use mostly dried herbs, unless you buy a few sprigs of fresh from a special grocer, and I like a rustic bread from the Stokka bakery that I let dry out before I use it. The mushrooms here are excellent to use, and I use a modified Fanny Farmer recipe for this.

If you have Finnish guests, best to explain it all before hand, and make expectations clear. I was kind of upset and a little offended last year when some guests started pulling out their wallets at the table and offering money for their share of the meal. Not what Thanksgiving is about at all, but they hadn't experienced this kind of uncomfortable generosity before.

Good luck,

from one of the apparently three "Megans" in Finland, though I am Meghan

mCowboy · Post by **mCowboy** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 3:19 am

Megstertex wrote:I
from one of the apparently three "Megans" in Finland, though I am Meghan

What a coincidence... so am I...

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:13 am

Megstertex wrote: they hadn't experienced this kind of uncomfortable generosity before.

They just wanted to settle the "debt" right then and there before you packed up and left and had them owing. You *know* its a sin for even an atheist in Finland to *owe* a favor

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:18 pm

I am waiting for the desperation to come to finding that elusive Turkey!! and its filling!!

Now that really need some thanks to be giving!!!

ScubaGirl · Post by **ScubaGirl** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:29 pm

raamv wrote:I am waiting for the desperation to come to finding that elusive Turkey!! and its filling!!

We're having a Tofurkey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofurkey

and I make the stuffing from scratch, mmm, mmm, good!

incster · Post by **incster** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:41 pm

ScubaGirl wrote: We're having a Tofurkey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofurkey and I make the stuffing from scratch, mmm, mmm, good!

Where did you find the Tofurkey?

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:43 pm

To be honest, I ve not had a thanksgiving turkey since 2000 ( when we had a Boyz' game and i had one in Humperdinks in Richardson).
and the idea os buying a whole bird N sticking it in an oven overnight here to see only a teeny weeny butt being eaten is not really appealing..

OTOH, the veggie option seems inviting..but then the work involved is still the same..

ScubaGirl · Post by **ScubaGirl** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:11 pm

incster wrote:
ScubaGirl wrote: We're having a Tofurkey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofurkey and I make the stuffing from scratch, mmm, mmm, good!
Where did you find the Tofurkey?

My guest who is coming from the states tomorrow is bringing it. You can also do a homemade one. Google for recipes

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:23 pm

raamv wrote:I am waiting for the desperation to come to finding that elusive Turkey!!

Well, it is *goose* season in November

a fresh turkey may be slightly early for the season, but a frozen one I'd think you can get. Then again to be assured of the "existance of turkey" you need to secure it well beforehand... they stock them for Christmas these days as they're coming evermore popular.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:58 pm

You can probably order a fresh turkey from Stockmann. They are not as big as the US / UK ones
but IIRC you can specify S, M, L...

http://tavaratalot.stockmann.fi/portal/ ... n_palvelut

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