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Canadian Thanksgiving


Daddy-A

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Didn't September just start last week?

Hopefully we can provide our US readers with a sense of what we do for our Thanksgiving.

What are your Thanksgiving traditions?

What are your favorite Thanksgiving entrees?

Anybody tired of turkey?

Any suggestions for J & I since I have to work that Saturday and our families are abandoning us?

A.

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I will tell you about a tradition in my house that will shock some of you. There are a couple of things to bear in mind.

A. I own a restaurant

B. I work pretty much everyday

It started out as a Christmas tradition.

Order dinner form the Pan Pacific. Chef prepared, nicely packaged, great food. They even throw in a loaf of bread and mayo for turkey sandwiches the next day. It costs about $200 for ten people. Do the math - pretty easy.

Play with the kids all day , sleep in ( if you do not have kids ), relax, have fun, call the relatives, have a nice day , and

at 3:00, jump in the car, go downtown ( streets are empty , you can drive fast ) and get dinner. Come home unpack it , warm up a couple of things, place big box outside back door to toss things in later, kick back and enjoy.

Clean - up is easy , toss all the things you do not want into the box, toss into back of car and drive it back downtown and throw in your dumpster ( we all have a dumpster, don't we ? )

This tradition has bee frowned upon by some prior to the day but when they see how easy it is and really it is all about being together is it not? Nobody has to take a shower with the turkey , nobody has to be prepping vegatables the day of, no major pot scrubbing etc. I realize that not everybody has prep cooks to cut vegetables the day before or chop bread for stuffing so this is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas.

So why not Thanksgiving ?

Because the Pan does not do it for Thanksgiving. But hey , we found a high end food store on the Granville rise ( I do not want to name names, that did a nice setup for Thanksgiving, so we went for it ! - Big mistake !

I have never been so sick in my life ! Without going into details , I was sick !!! And so was the wife !

We called and talked to the Chef. She blamed it on us , poor handling, could not have been them, every excuse in the book. There was no possible way they could have done anything wrong. Really a poor way to handle it. No problem , we call the owner. She happened to be away in Europe at their cooking school / retreat there. Sent e-mail , letter etc.

I had a bit of a bee in my bonnet by this point. No response ever came from any person in any of the forms we sent it.

I have never set foot in the place again and never will.

So , long story short , I think I might be cooking a turkey this year with all of the bits and pieces. I will have the cooks at the restaurant prep the vegetables etc but I will cook the bird.

What will I be thankful for this year. Not being sick for days after Thanksgiving.

Arne , is that what you were looking for when you asked the question?

Neil Wyles

Hamilton Street Grill

www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

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I'm really glad I'm not Canadian. I'm not sure if I could handle Thanksgiving so soon after the Jewish holidays. I mean come on, one huge carb and heartburn fest right after another. Not to mention more turkey.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

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I'm really glad I'm not Canadian. I'm not sure if I could handle Thanksgiving so soon after the Jewish holidays. I mean come on, one huge carb and heartburn fest right after another. Not to mention more turkey.

Jason,

In the interests of international relations and reciprocity, perhaps it's best to call this reply to your wiseacre remarks . . .

No Harm, No Fowl

In your missive, you complain that Canadian Thanksgiving falls too hard on the Jewish holiday feasting season. But speaking for all Scottish-Canadians, you don't hear us complaining that Robbie Burns Fortnight too closely abuts Easter do you?

Disbelieving your logic, Canadians have long been curious, if not downright concerned, as to why our southern neighbours heap American Thanksgiving right on top of Christmas. College kids criss-cross the country to visit family in November, only to return to school for exams and then turn around again. American Thanksgiving seems a holiday timed not so much to honour the pilgrims as the airlines.

Or maybe it's timed so you can get your election out of the way and then celebrate twice in a month. Or because turkeys take longer to hit 50 pounds down there. Please advise.

We think our Thanksgiving is actually much better timed and that you should ask your presidential candidates where they stand on the issue. I'm sure it hasn't escaped you that the time between Boxing Day and Canadian Thanksgiving is just over nine months, precisely paralleling the human gestation period. Like all things Canadian, this timing was soberly chosen by our founding fathers (they judged any longer between turkey sandwiches an egregious act) and requires an Act of Parliament to change. Besides, Canadian turkey producers take joy in shipping gobblers south that didn't quite make the grade up here.

But let's face it: This year Canadian Thanksgiving is being taken much more seriously.

Of course that's because there's no 2004 hockey season. For many home cooks this presents extraordinary challenges, because:

1. Without the customary on-ice distractions, family members and other dinner guests will be focussing on the actual quality of the meal this year.

2. Since the World Cup ended last month, and with no hockey in the forseeable future, Canadian men are exhausted. That's because we've been having far too much sex, especially on Saturday nights during the regular Hockey Night in Canada slot. Culinary pundits are concerned that we may not be up to the rigours of flipping the bird, let alone stuffing it.

3. It's a well-known fact that Canadian couples perform the sexual act in the style of the hound so that both parties can watch the game. Now, with couples having to actually face each other over the dinner table, marital flaws have become magnified, strains exaggerated. Putting a large bird, Brussels sprouts and sharp implements in harm's way can hardly be a good thing.

4. Global warming has seen a surfeit of driveway salt clear across the country. Canadian salt prices have plunged. As a result, Health Canada has released an Over-Brining Advisory, warning elderly people, infants and people with high blood pressure to be wary of saline-bloated fowl.

5. Corporate hockey sponsors, at a promotional loss this season, have petitioned the recently elected Paul Martin government to brand certain national holidays. For many Canadians "Molson's-Coors Lite Thanksgiving" is sure to leave a bad taste in our mouths.

6. Legions of out-of-work Zamboni drivers (surely the most demanding job in professional sports) have asked the NHL Board of Governors for emergency turkey gift certificates in lieu of wages; turkey futures for next weekend have doubled and canned pumpkin supplies are already scarce.

But allow us to address another concern, namely "Thanksgiving Double-Dipping".

This is when ex-pat Canadian notables such as Neil Young, Shannon Tweed and Pamela Anderson visit family in Canada for our Thanksgiving and then return to their US homes to replicate the experience, albeit with inferior ingredients. Many Canadians think this practice should be banned outright. But very much in the Canadian way, instead of actually outlawing this heinous act, the Paul Martin government has simply chosen to tax it.

Surely this explains both the underlying difference between our two countries and the renewal this season of V.I.P.

I trust this response addresses your query satisfactorily, and remain,

Yous etc.,

Jamie Maw

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Thank you so much for that hilarious reply, Jaimie. I had a bad day at work yesterday and was having a little pity party this a.m. I'm much happier now after reading your post.

This is the second time I have heard of a bad outcome of "picking up a pre-made" turkey dinner...is there a third, anyone (3 strikes it's out), because the cost and effortlessness of it all sounds so reasonable, unless, of course, you get food poisoning. There is no guarantee this could not happen at my mother's house. (She thawed the last turkey in the basement, uncovered, and found the ends of the legs chewed off. My visiting cat had a wonderful feast. And, of course, vomited later all over my mother's carpet. Kitty is no longer welcome at her house.)

No plans for Thanksgiving yet. Will probably support my local chefs and eat out in peace.

"One chocolate truffle is more satisfying than a dozen artificially flavored dessert cakes." Darra Goldstein, Gastronomica Journal, Spring 2005 Edition

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Thanks Jamie. Being completely unaware of the severity of the double dipping situation, I'll now be contacting my congressman to let them know about the threat this poses to US/Canadian relations.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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confession: as an American, I have once double-dipped on Thanksgiving. Attended a Canadian Thanksgiving potluck in CA...

Are there any traditional dishes that would be differentin Canada than those for American thanksgiving feasts?

What dishes are de rigeur?

Influences from the French in Montreal or use of idigenous ingredients like maple syrup?

Are apple and pumpkin pie the traditional dessert?

(I guess I am echoing Daddy-A's questions, it would be interesting to know...)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Thanks Jamie. Being completely unaware of the severity of the double dipping situation, I'll now be contacting my congressman to let them know about the threat this poses to US/Canadian relations.

Well, thanks to you. Thanksgiving's hard enough on relations anyway and it would be a shame to see Double Dipping get away on us like the softwood lumber dispute, only now being resolved in The Hague. Surely NAFTA can be amended without too much fuss.

But if there's even a shred of doubt in your congressman's mind, Jason, simply ask him to review next week's Enquirer. No doubt he'll see before and after shots of Neil Young, Jim Carrey and Joni Mitchell trying to slip back over the line after Canadian Thanksgiving.

Last October Carrey gained an astonishing 15 pounds (6.5 kilos up here) in three days, about the same weight as a hybridized Canadian-Cornish game hen or his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Holly.

When interviewed he said he'd had "enough turkey to stuff a chesterfield."

Thanks again for tackling this issue head-on. And pass the cranberries.

Jamie

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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The mainstays are all pretty much the same, up here. Either turkey-with-all-the-trimmings or ham-with-all-the-trimmings, and the trimmings would all be familiar to you I'm sure. We don't get as much football with ours, mind you. The CFL season is almost over, there are just a couple of weeks left, and Labour Day is our big football holiday here anyway.

You'll find a few regional variations, of course. Some of my Mennonite in-laws often make up a cake-y sort of accompaniment in place of stuffing; others make a stuffing based on ground beef or sausage. My mother's, on the other hand, was mashed potatoes with sauteed onions and summer savoury. Here on the prairies, I've also seen perogies as a side dish, though they're not considered canonical.

I'm not keen on roast turkey myself, so if I do get one I'll buy a fresh turkey and break it down. I'll stuff the breasts for Thanksgiving (one savoury stuffing, one fruit stuffing) and roast those, since they're easier to keep moist than a whole bird. I keep the fillets ("tenders") for another meal; I also bone out the thighs for another meal; the wings and drums are each good for a meal; and I'll get two pots' worth of stock from the carcass.

I do ham more often, though, or sometimes just a roast.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Thank you so much for that hilarious reply, Jaimie. I had a bad day at work yesterday and was having a little pity party this a.m. I'm much happier now after reading your post.

Pity. Only in Canada you say?

Actually butter, when I read your post this morning without benefit of my spectacles (or were they just spattered with bacon grease?), I thought that you had written that you "were having a little pita party" which would be an unusual Thanksgiving tradition indeed.

Simultaneously, I was attempting to (blurilly) read the October issue of Saveur, where a recipe for cervela whisked me back to heady days of clambering around Switzerland. I thought--what a perfect thing to stuff into a lightly grilled pita, as its ingredients neatly bridge the turn of summer into fall. And great food for a walk in the park. Here it is:

Walk in the Park Cervela

Put 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dijon, and 1 egg yolk into blender and blend at slow speed for a few seconds. With motor still running slowly add a half cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

Cut a 4 oz. piece of garlicky beef sausage such as knackwurst (or several types, from OK Sausage) into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine with 4 ripe tomatoes cored and sliced into 1/6 wedges, 2 oz. of Emmenthaler cheese cut into 1/4 inch pieces, 8 cornichons diced finely, 1 small red onion diced, and 4 hard-boiled eggs cut into 1/6ths.

Toss the dry ingredients gently in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of the dressing. Add egg sections at the end. Stuff pitas. Find a park. Walk.

Let's collaborate on more of these soon. I'm glad you're feeling better.

Jamie

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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The CFL season is almost over, there are just a couple of weeks left, and Labour Day is our big football holiday here anyway.

We play football in Canada? I thought we only had rugby (right Jamie?) :biggrin:

chromedome: I too enjoy grabbing a turkey breast :shock: and stuffing it rather than cooking the whole bird. Truth be told, If there was a way I could forego the roast bird and go straight to the soup I'd be a happy man.

Our family tradition has been a larger-than-life meal at our family cabin in the Coquihala. Imagine 3 or 4 families along with friends & partners stuffed like chestnut dressing into our one room shack. On the table (two 4x8 sheets of plywood) is, in no particular order: turkey, stuffing (Capozzi - old family recipe from Kelowna), gravy, ham, lasagne, various caseroles (some with, some without Campbell's mushroom soup), potatoes (scalloped, mashed, roasted, Romanoff, etc. etc.) peas w/ pearl onions, roasted butternut squash (my Dad's contibution), orange glazed carrots, pickles (gerkins, beats, onions, etc. etc.), and buns.

Dessert is pumpkin pie, apple pie (both with real whipped cream), various baking which ALWAYS includes butter tarts. Occaisionaly somebody brings up a box of "Pot of Gold" chocolates.

Coffee, tea, bad wine, and if I'm there some Old Port's on the patio afterwards.

Too many people, too much food.

Did I mention everything is cooked on/in a wood burning stove?

Maybe this year I'll try this "football". No hockey, so I've gotta do something.

A.

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My Thanksgiving dinner will be very traditional - frre range, organic turkey, stuffing, a sinfully rich mashed potato. However, I would love some creative suggestions for veggetables. I am tired of all the veggies I usually do..

I am planning, for dessert, the traditional apple pie. Instead of pumpkin pie I am thinking pumpkin cheesecake this year. I don't know if I will be chastised for being a non-conformist or not.

Veggie suggestions would be most welcome.

Life is short, eat dessert first

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We don't have traditional Thanksgiving dinners. My mom cooks "special occasion" Chinese dishes like sticky rice, these little dumplings that are wrapped in a little egg crepe and panfried, Chinese BBQ pork, fish, braised shitake mushrooms, prawns--basically anything that's a family favorite. Then we have a big roast turkey with roasted vegetables and gravy, and I usually make a few more traditional Thanksgiving sides like this sausage, artichoke, and sourdough bread stuffing that everyone loves. For dessert, I usually make a fancier cheesecake and any other dessert that I've been meaning to try (this year it will probably be the Frog Commissionary carrot cake people have been posting about in the Pastry forum). No one likes pumpkin pie except for me, so instead of scarfing most of a pie like I did last year, I'll probably just get a pumpkin tart from Capers. Like all big family dinners, everything is served buffet-style.

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Veggie suggestions would be most welcome.

Ah, the vegetable conundrum, as much determined by lack of oven and stove-top space as a desire for flavour, texture and perhaps something slightly off the beaten track. But the conundrum is heightened by the fact that families are creatures of habit, and just as Arne has mentioned, if someone forgets the Old Ports and Pots o' Gold, there might be tears.

Trial and error suggests that one solution is to make all the traditional favourites (mashed spuds--actually butter bound by miniscule amounts of potato, wine-rich gravy, roasted squash with maple syrup etc.), then add a couple of options. For instance, I have to make peas for my Dad, who insists on them. Fortunately we've weaned him off Royal City No. 2's by substituting frozen peas from the micro-wave refreshed with a little mint from the garden. They're bright, green and popular. As, at 88, is he.

Second, when the turkey is taken out to rest, turn the heat up to 400, replace the missing rack and place a bain marie of individual (ramekin) squash/nutmeg/sage souffles (or puddings). They'll be done by the time you've finished the gravy and have begun the carving. Or simply roast some spaghtti squash in their half-shells, add some butter, pepper and nutmeg, and scoop.

Third, the peoples' choice. Scrub some young carrots, leaving the top inch of green stem on. Dry thoroughly. Place on a cookie sheet with slices of fennel interspersed. Oil them and roast for 20 minutes at 400, spinning them once. Sprinkle with good salt after arranging on a platter. Quality crunch in a sea of gummable food.

And here's a piquant alternative if you're serving pheasant, duck or leg of lamb instead of turkey. Slice Japanese eggplants in half and take a small slice off the bottom so they balance in a casserole or on a baking sheet. In a bowl, muddle anchovies, diced garlic, salt, a little lemon juice, capers and oil to make a paste. Coat the cut side of the eggplant and roast for 20 minutes at 400. This will get your guests' attention.

Back to pals of the bird. Roasted beets are good. Roasted onions are good. A mess of roasted root vegetables with fresh herbs is good. Wok-fried Brussels sprouts are great--and, bonus, the frying sharply reduces flatulence hazards. Succotash is good. And boiled, scallion-laced dumplings are most excellent gravy soppers.

But the greatest of them all is what comes first. It's a way to ease hunger pangs in the hour after people arrive without filling them up: A teacup of lobster bisque or strained bouillabaise. That's it and nothing else. Pair with generous glasses of chilled Tio Pepe. Both are a diabolic foreplay that induce the kind of hunger that only you can so amply serve.

Good luck,

Jamie

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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Well, I work Thanksgiving weekend straight through. So my thanksgiving dinner for two will be on the friday. Roasted chicken, mole sauce, smashed sieg linde potatoes, pan roasted brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie. And lots of wine.

< Linda >

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Pity party for us, as we're not making it home for the first time since I was in England for a year when I was 18 - sad - no local Cowichan Valley roast lamb. Sigh. Instead, we decided to be insane & have a group of 10 (at last count) people over. So, predictably, the food's not going to be very inventive - organic, free range turkey, mashed potatoes (apparently they're expected) and brussels sprouts. After that, I get to play - a starter of wilted spinach with rice vinegar, sherry & dried cranberries (Nice idea, Jamie, but lobster bisque just ain't an option up here for 10 - nor is Tio Pepe!), as an alternative to potatoes, I'm doing roast butternut squash with toasted almonds, nutmeg, salt, pepper & parsley, a winter vegetable tart (gotta have my goat cheese), a cheese plate & miscellaneous biscotti for dessert (don't like pumpkin pie, and will be too full to eat apple pie anyway). People are bringing wine - God alone knows what we'll end up with - I'm planning on sticking to beer at this point ...

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Viola da gamba,Oct 4 2004, 02:05 PM]

Pity party for us, as we're not making it home for the first time since I was in England for a year . . .

Sounds like a great menu Viola, but where exactly is 'up here' ?

Jamie

PS--Can we send up some Tio Pepe? Air drop? Although truth be known, I'll be reverting to form and drinking cleansing ales throughout the afternoon in order to keep my weight up. And the strained relations at arm's length.

J.

Edited by jamiemaw (log)

from the thinly veneered desk of:

Jamie Maw

Food Editor

Vancouver magazine

www.vancouvermagazine.com

Foodblog: In the Belly of the Feast - Eating BC

"Profumo profondo della mia carne"

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As a transplanted American, I can tell you that I do nothing special for neither Canadian nor American Thanksgiving. It's sort of sad. Though I've been here 7 years or so, I haven't yet gotten used to having Thanksgiving so early in the fall season, so I usually skip it ... and by the time American Thanksgiving rolls around, I'm not interested because I'm in Canada! So I'll probably just end up going out somewhere in the neighbourhood. Sad, I know...

Food Lover -- nothing more, nothing less
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Jamie:

PS--Can we send up some Tio Pepe? Air drop? Although truth be known, I'll be reverting to form and drinking cleansing ales throughout the afternoon in order to keep my weight up. And the strained relations at arm's length.

Thanks for the offer :biggrin::biggrin: - but it should be okay - worse comes to worse, there's a bottle of A'Bunadh I'm hiding in case things get really rough. "Up here" is Smithers - the local LDB store has a great selection of single malt, a surprisingly good selection of wine (although none of the 2001 Bordeaux made it up here :sad:) but they're really not great when it comes to sherry, port or some of the other more traditional spirits (or Merridale cider, worst luck) I'm thinking of drinking Helles to start ... and at least I don't have to worry about any relations - strained, shaken OR stirred, since a certain to remain unnamed national airline put fares up again.

Edited by Viola da gamba (log)
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Back to pals of the bird. Roasted beets are good. Roasted onions are good. A mess of roasted root vegetables with fresh herbs is good.

Great suggestions. I think I will do some pureed roasted beets and some root vegetables with fresh herbs from my garden. Thanks for the ideas. They are much appreciated.

Life is short, eat dessert first

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"Up here" is Smithers

Poor you! I spent 8 years of my life in nearby Houston. Great fishing but that's about it. Oh yeah, there's great powder for downhill skiing. I learned in Smithers.

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Poor you! I spent 8 years of my life in nearby Houston. Great fishing but that's about it. Oh yeah, there's great powder for downhill skiing. I learned in Smithers.

Don't get me wrong - I love Smithers - I just wish some of the ingredients I took for granted down in Vancouver were more readily available - why, oh why doesn't anyone stock pure sesame oil? The meat selection up here (with the exception of the afore-lamented lamb) is excellent, though - gotta love free-range chicken & turkey being cheaper than any of the store-bought stuff, and I think I'm preferring elk to beef. And yes, the skiing is fabulous, and cheap, and we are spoiled for choice for fishing (mmmm - steelhead & sockeye fresh from the river) - and I'm rediscovering my cookbooks, which isn't bad!

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A few years back a local White Rock newspaper had a turkey brining recipe from Chef Glenys Morgan. It was an apple brine recipe and included apple juice, brown sugar, kosher salt, water, oranges, fresh ginger, whole cloves, bay leaves and crushed garlic. The recipe resulted in a turkey that was amazingly tender and wonderfully flavoured. It has now become a family favourite. The only drawback is that the drippings make a rather different flavoured gravy.

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As a transplanted American, I can tell you that I do nothing special for neither Canadian nor American Thanksgiving.  It's sort of sad.  Though I've been here 7 years or so, I haven't yet gotten used to having Thanksgiving so early in the fall season, so I usually skip it ... and by the time American Thanksgiving rolls around, I'm not interested because I'm in Canada!  So I'll probably just end up going out somewhere in the neighbourhood.  Sad, I know...

I know what you are going through. I am a Canadian transplanted to the States and Thanksgiving is the "lost holiday". If I try to do something in October it's a Monday and most people have things to do and even my kids were not very enthusiastic. Then November comes and I can't get really excited because it's not my memories or experiences to pass on - that and the fact that the menu is NOT TO BE TAMPERED WITH. If I'm feeling really puckish, I'll mention that I am thinking of doing something "creative" for the meal and it's a lot of fun to watch the rest of the family throw a collective snit. Good leverage to get someone to peel potatoes.

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The only drawback is that the drippings make a rather different flavoured gravy.

If you want plain gravy, buy some extra turkey wings and legs and roast them in a separate pan. You can then use those drippings for the gravy. Glenys has some of the best recipes for turkey and sides.

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