Thanksgiving 2025 in Argentina: A Smaller Feast, But Still Full of Gratitude

Thanksgiving has always been our second-favorite holiday, mostly because it gives us an excuse to make an outrageous mix of sweet and savory dishes. Over the years, our menu has shifted, but we always make room for the classics: turkey (or sometimes chicken), mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, biscuits, corn, and stuffing. Sadly, cranberries remain elusive here in Argentina—at least for now—and we’ve never been fans of green bean casserole anyway.

This year, though, we decided on a smaller Thanksgiving for a few reasons. First, we already did a big Thanksgiving-style meal during our halfway holiday in June. Second, both our gas and electric ovens have been acting up. While we can bake basic things like cookies, cakes, and pies (with the occasional culinary tragedy), cooking a turkey for six hours just wasn’t happening until we get them repaired. And third—our budget is tighter than it’s been in years. Many of our tenants moved out recently, some because their contracts ended and others because of property issues.

Even so, we still enjoyed a delicious meal, just the two of us.

The Main Course Misadventure

For the main dish, we ordered a chicken from a place called Good Chicken here in Córdoba City. It was, without question, the first and last time we’ll be ordering from them. We specifically asked for the chicken not to be cut because we wanted it whole. As you’ll see in the photos below… they cut it anyway.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. The real problem was the hair strands still attached to the chicken. That made us seriously question how well it had been cleaned before cooking. We ended up re-seasoning everything ourselves because Argentine food can be pretty under-seasoned. Then we threw it into our electric oven for 45 minutes to reheat before serving.

Prepping the Meal

Unlike previous years, the hubs did most of the cooking while I made a run to Cotillón Chialvo, the party store that stole our hearts on Halloween. I was hunting for Christmas decorations (more on that in an upcoming post).

Thankfully, I made it back in time to help with the final prep work. By the time we were done, we had stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and our questionable-but-edible chicken ready to go. 

It was a simple, budget-friendly meal, but considering how much we do have—especially compared to so many people in the world—we had no real reason to complain. Plus, it tasted great, and we even had leftovers for the next day.

Dessert: The Real Stars

Now the desserts? Oh, we thrived. And by “we,” I mean my husband, who is an absolute wizard in the kitchen.

The apple pie was better than ever—and not just any apple pie. This was a butterscotch apple pie. The only downside is that I am absolutely terrible at cutting pie slices, so they looked a bit tragic on the plate. Trust me, though: it tasted great.

We also made a peanut butter pie with a dark chocolate topping and a special message.

Then came our dark chocolate treats, molded into pumpkins, turkeys, and leaves. The pumpkin and leaf candies had peanut butter filling, like homemade Reese’s cups, while the turkey-shaped ones had half a cherry inside. Unfortunately, it was very trial-and-error. Most of them fell apart while we tried to remove them from the mold, but we still managed to save a few survivors.

And then there were the Pop Your Cherry Pudding Cups: vanilla pudding layered with vanilla cookies and topped with two cherries. Simple. Indulgent. Perfect.

Since November in Argentina is basically summer, we also made pumpkin spice “blizzard” drinks—blended pumpkin purée with pumpkin spice, sugar, and lots of ice. Refreshing, festive, and lifesaving in the heat.

The next day, we made Thanksgiving truffles using pumpkin purée and melted white chocolate tinted with orange food coloring. They were meant to resemble pumpkins, complete with a little pretzel-stem on top.

We also had just enough homemade pumpkin purée left to make a pie. The hubs discovered a much easier method thanks to an online recipe. In previous attempts, he baked the crust, added the filling, and then baked the entire pie again. This time, he baked the crust as usual but cooked the pumpkin mixture separately in a pan. Once it was ready, he poured it into the crust and let it chill in the fridge to firm up. 

While the final texture was more pudding-like than traditional pumpkin pie, it still tasted absolutely delicious.

Our First Thanksgiving Tree

Of course, decorating is an essential part of the celebration. We’ve done Halloween trees for years, but this year, we created our first Thanksgiving tree. We decorated it with plastic leaves, pumpkins, dark brown ornaments, gold and orange tinsel, and a few unique touches. Honestly, it turned out adorable.

This was our first attempt

Our second attempt with more ornaments and tinsel

The axe represents the villain from the film Thanksgiving

The gun is there because well...people love shooting things during the holidays

To honor those who wish to stuff themselves with something other than turkey

I added the witch hat because I didn't have a pilgrim hat until the day of

Parades and Horror Flicks

While eating, we watched the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC—last year’s version, since the 2025 parade hadn’t been uploaded yet. The 2024 parade was pretty underwhelming because of the rain, and the hosts didn’t help. As much as I love Hoda Kotb, I’m not sad that it was her final year hosting.

We were tempted, though, to watch footage of the 2025 parade that someone posted without commentary—just the parade itself. I only discovered it because actor Robert Picardo shared a clip of the Starship Enterprise float. It was followed by a giant Jason Voorhees balloon. Since Star Trek and horror are our thing, we gave it a try. Honestly? We loved it more without the constant talking from Al Roker.

Over the weekend, we also watched some Thanksgiving-themed horror movies, including:

• Thanksgiving (2023)

• Black Friday (2021)

• ThanksKilling (a terrible movie in the worst way—the turkey puppet carries the whole thing)

• Kristy (not fully Thanksgiving-themed, but it takes place during break)

We also watched a couple of Thanksgiving episodes from our favorite shows:

• Grey’s Anatomy — Season 2, Episode 9

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season 4, Episode 8

Now that the leftovers are gone and Thanksgiving is officially behind us, we’re more than ready to jump into Christmas mode. Until next time, let the festive chaos begin!

Stranger Things at McDonald’s Argentina… Minus the Toys

In case my last few posts weren’t enough of a hint, I’m a huge horror buff. I’m also a huge fan of the 80s, given that I grew up in that decade. So it’s no surprise that the Netflix series Stranger Things appeals to me. Granted, the last couple of seasons haven’t been as great as the first, but I’m hopeful that the final season will deliver a satisfying conclusion. Plus, Linda Hamilton is joining the cast, and she’s one of my all-time favorite actresses, so bonus!

Recently, there’s been a lot of excitement in Argentina about McDonald’s releasing Happy Meal toys modeled after the show’s famous characters—Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, and even a Demogorgon. But in most cases, the good collectibles never make it to Argentina, so I didn’t have high hopes.

Then, on McDonald’s Argentina’s Instagram, they started subtly teasing Stranger Things. It began with a receipt that had the number 11 printed on it. Naturally, I assumed this meant the collectibles would be available here. Based on the online comments, it seemed I wasn't the only one. I was only interested in the Demogorgon, but still—hope is hope. Then, on the 18th, something disappointingly strange happened.

They announced a Stranger Things menu, which included a chicken or beef burger served with the buns flipped upside down.

The names of the sandwiches on the wrappers were intentionally reversed

They also introduced a McShaker Fries bag: you toss your fries into a paper bag, add a paprika seasoning packet, and shake.

The result? Slightly spicier fries—kind of like Checkers fries but without the crunch. The bag itself as well as the seasonal packet had an image of an old-school cassette with the Stranger Things logo on it.

The cups featured a red silhouette of the kids riding their bikes, which, combined with everything else, made the whole experience feel pretty cool for Stranger Things fans.

The best part was the oversized Happy Meal box designed to look like a boombox. For those of you who aren’t as old as I am, a boombox was a large machine where you’d insert magnetic-tape cassettes to listen to music. But there was something crucial missing…

Where were the collectibles? Had they been transported to the Upside Down, or had the employees simply forgotten to include them? Honestly, it wouldn’t have surprised us. McDonald’s employees in Argentina have a reputation for forgetting drinks or even entire side orders.

I reached out to McDonald’s Argentina on social media to ask why the toys weren’t included, and—as expected—they never replied. The customer service in Argentine McDonald’s is famously atrocious. I even went to one of the restaurants to ask in person, and they told me that the toys were not part of the Happy Meal in Argentina.

So, in conclusion, the only things we’re getting down here from McDonald’s are boxes, paper bags, and cups promoting Stranger Things—all of which end up greasy and stained from the food and therefore destined for the trash.

Were the hubs and I disappointed? Absolutely. Shocked? Not at all. Still, it was nice that McDonald’s Argentina did something to promote the show. And honestly, both the burgers and the fries were a bit spicier than usual. This will undoubtedly not be popular with the Argentine locals, who seem to despise anything even slightly spicy. But we were “lovin’ it” to the last bite!

KFC in Córdoba City? The Quest for Fried Chicken Glory

Those of you who’ve followed my blog over the last 13 years know that many of the fast-food restaurants we took for granted in the States are not available here in Argentina. In some cases, certain popular chains like Wendy’s and KFC have, until recently, been limited to the CABA area — aka Argentina’s capital city. It’s one of the many reasons why we’ve traveled so often to Buenos Aires over the years. Among those reasons was our desire to get our American fast-food fix before heading back to our host city of Córdoba.

But recently, it came to our attention that KFC has been expanding its food empire beyond the borders of CABA. The more interesting rumor was that a KFC was scheduled to open in Nuevocentro Shopping — a mall here in Córdoba City — and also one near Plaza España.

We did a quick Google search, and only the Nuevocentro Shopping location appeared, supposedly open until 10 p.m. Before heading out, we checked the reviews to see what people were saying, and the results were mixed. Not because people didn’t like it, though — some claimed they had eaten at the KFC in Nuevocentro Shopping, while others insisted it wasn’t open to the public yet.

Determined to find out, the hubs sent me to investigate — and hopefully bring back a KFC bucket full of crispy chicken and whatever sides Argentine KFCs now offered. I say this because the last time I went to a KFC in CABA, they had removed a lot of the popular side orders, like mashed potatoes with gravy.

So off I went to Nuevocentro Shopping. This was my first time there since the hubs and I stayed at the Sheraton Hotel right next to the mall back in 2020. 

Aside from the unusually empty streets, I quickly discovered that a few things had changed since our last visit.

For starters, the Sheraton was no longer the Sheraton. It’s now a 5-Star hotel called Quinto Centenario.

Then, as I walked inside the mall, I noticed a few other changes. For instance, the Burger King right next to the movie theater had been replaced by Tostada, an Argentine eatery.

Honestly, I don’t know what the hell they were thinking. Burger King is the best, and replacing it with something that serves the same Argentine-style food you can get literally anywhere in the country doesn’t seem logical to me.

Also, the DISCO supermarket on the first floor had been replaced by a JUMBO. Not that it’s a problem — they still carry most of the items the hubs and I loved getting from DISCO, like pickles in a jar, pretzels, and international products such as GOYA foods. 

I actually stopped by the supermarket first because I wanted to buy a reusable bag to carry the KFC food home. I was taking the bus, after all, and with locals having the charming habit of sneezing and coughing without covering their mouths, I wanted to make sure the food was protected from everyone’s nasty germs.

Next, I noticed that Falabella — the three-story department store that once offered everything from clothing and electronics to home décor and, seasonally, Christmas items — had been replaced by a one-story store called Mia Casa.

It had a small selection of Christmas decorations and furniture, but nothing close to its predecessor.

But my primary mission remained clear: Find KFC.

I looked all over the mall and still hadn’t found it. Finally, I made my way to the food court, where — aside from McDonald’s — everything else seemed to offer the same bland, predictable food.

Then I spotted something in the corner of the food court where a Subway used to be years ago. There, right outside a kids’ gaming center, was a wall plastered with KFC advertisements. The only problem? It was closed. In fact, it looked more like the restaurant was still under construction behind those walls.

My heart sank. I couldn’t believe I had come all this way, overriding every instinct telling me to stay home (thanks, social anxiety), just to return empty-handed. I decided to ask a nice cleaning lady and two security guards if they knew anything about a grand opening date.

All three told me I wasn’t the first person to ask and that, unfortunately, there was no official opening date yet — but that it would open eventually.

At the time, that news wasn’t exactly comforting. However, I later realized that all the online articles mentioned KFC was coming to Córdoba City in November — which is now. So, there’s still hope it’ll open within the next few weeks. 

I contacted KFC in Argentina through social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to get an exact date, but they have not responded.

I’m crossing my fingers for a grand opening before Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in my previous post, both of my ovens are barely working, and attempting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would probably result in an undercooked turkey.

So maybe, just maybe, KFC will save our Thanksgiving 2025 — and I’ll handle the side dishes at home.

I’ll keep you all posted on whether my plan works out — and, of course, when KFC finally opens its doors here in Córdoba City.

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UPDATE NOVEMBER 11TH: KFC finally responded and claim they have no grand opening date as of yet. They have also removed the Google search result that claimed KFC was available at Nuevocentro Shopping.