Thanksgiving-T Minus 3 Days

Finding ingredients in Madrid is like a scavenger hunt. I've ruled out so many recipes because I know I won't be able to find the ingredients (Seeds of paradise?? Alton Brown, what even is that?). I've been to the grocery store, the market, the expensive grocery store, the American store, the other American store...And I'm still not done. Finding pumpkin proved to be a near disaster. The first American store was out of pumpkin. It's Thanksgiving, you're an American store, and you don't have pumpkin? Pardona? I believe the conversation went like this: "¿No tienes calabaza en latas? (You don't have canned pumpkin?) Answer: No, no nos queda. (No, we don't have any left). Me: ...¿en serio? (Seriously?)...They were quite serious. So, then I hauled ass to the other American store on the other side of Madrid, going over the nightmare scenario of a pumpkin-less Thanksgiving. Could I use regular squash? Luckily, the other American store was well stocked. And super expensive. (2.50 a can. Seriously). 12 euros for a bag of pecans?? Guess again. Pecans are very hard to find here. Not that popular. However. I believe I have spent much more than 12 euros on this pecan pie so far. First, I bought the wrong pecans (Salted. Damn). Then, I had to buy the shelled ones. And a nutcracker. And then I had to shell them. Luckily, Sarah was there to pitch in, so we both had bloody fingers...All that for a pecan pie. It better be good.