Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays. Isn’t it one of everyones? It is all about the food, the day off work and school and the time we get to spend with friends and family. Luckily, because Eric is American, we get to do it all over again at the end of November. Growing up, I definitely did not appreciate Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t appreciate the effort and I didn’t actually like a lot of the food. I know. Ridiculous. I love it all now.
We host Thanksgiving for my family at our house but we all share in the food preparations. I am famous for my stuffing (cooked outside of the bird, thank you) which I have shared with you at the end of this post and my homemade cranberry sauce (recipe on the back of the bag of cranberries!). My mom always brings the turkey and keeps the wishbone for us just like my dad used to.
Taking time for a photo with family or friends is also a must. It is a real labour of love for us. We try our best to get everyone in one spot and smiling at the camera at the same time. This hasn’t happened yet but the imperfect photos are often the best photos – capturing our families just as they are in this particular moment in time.
Leftovers are also something I appreciate as an adult but detested as a child. My favourite next day lunch is a white bun, warmed turkey, lettuce and mayo with lots of salt and pepper. I will also indulge in a regular coke. Oh, and chips and dip too. I feel like I am getting off topic here.
This week, I spent time picking up some nice touches from around town for the festivities.
Everyone gets a chocolate turkey from Chocolate Barr’s at their place setting.
This year I also ordered these adorable cookies from Sweet Temptations.
These candles and candle holders from Wills and Prior and Bradshaws are perfect! (And, they make a great Thanksgiving host gift!)
I also stopped for flowers from Black Creek Flower Farm.
Setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner is one of the things I look forward to most. I love Abby Campbell’s use of Kraft paper as a tablecloth – here is me totally copying her!
This is the stuffing recipe I use. It came from one of my first cookbooks – Betty Crocker’s Cooking Basics. It is super simple and super delicious.
2 large celery stalks
1 medium onion
¾ cup butter
14 slices soft bread cubes (I use Wonder bread. Half white and half brown)
½ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon pepper
Stir seasonings into celery mixture.
Toss seasoned celery mixture with bread cubes until evenly coated. Place in an oven safe pot with a lid and heat at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve. Yum!!!
What are your favourite foods and recipes for Thanksgiving?
What traditions do you love?
A bit more…10 Lovely Thanksgiving Traditions and Canadian vs American Thanksgiving (they’re really not that different!)
