Canadian Thanksgiving

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Since we couldn’t be with our Canadian family (we cannot wait to hug them again) we celebrated virtually. Just because we couldn’t be with them didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy all the yummy Canadian food I miss. So I put together a Canadian themed Thanksgiving menu and it was a hit!

Colette started us off with a pumpkin snack board for the kids table. It was as delicious as it was cute!

Herb Butter Turkey

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 2 tablespoon each chopped fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 whole turkey about 13 pounds
• 6 large carrots, halved crosswise
• 2 large onions, cut into 8 wedges
• 4 stalks celery, halved crosswise

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lowest position. Make herb butter. In a small bowl, mix together 5 tablespoons butter with chopped herbs; season with salt and pepper.
• Loosen skin: Put on some gloves and start by working from the neck end, slide fingers under skin until you reach the end of the breast, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub herb butter under the skin. Fill neck cavity: Place turkey breast side down.
• Cut neck into pieces; mix with carrots, onions, celery, and 2 cups broth in a large roasting pan. Set roasting rack over vegetables in pan.
• Place turkey onto rack and rub with remaining tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Tent turkey loosely with foil. Roast 1 hour at 350, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids. Continue until the meat thermometer registers 125 degrees, it will be roughly about 3 hours.
• Remove foil; turn up the oven heat to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes more. Tent with foil if bird browns too quickly; add more broth if pan becomes dry. Transfer turkey to a serving platter; cover loosely with foil, and let it rest 20 minutes before carving.

Poutine Mashed Potatoes

• 5 Pounds Russet Potatoes
• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1/2 – 1 Cup Milk or Chicken Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Salt and pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• Swiss Chalette Gravy mix (or any gravy mix if you cannot find it)
• Garlic and Herb Cheese Curds (I love to use Trinity Valley)

1. Wash and peel potatoes, then cut into 1 inch cubes.  Place the potatoes into a large stockpot and cover with cold water.  Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and cook for 20 minutes until tender.  Drain the potatoes and return to the warm pot, or to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the cream cheese, butter, milk, and seasonings to the potatoes.  Mash slightly to break the large potatoes up.  Rule of thumb is you want to be able to see the salt and pepper so keep adding to taste.
3. Follow instructions on the back of Swiss Chalette gravy or any package gravy to make the gravy.
4. Place mashed potatoes on a serving platter or bowl, top with gravy and sprinkle cheese curds to finish and serve immediately!

Canadian Bacon Stuffing

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter8 ounces Canadian bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 pound day-old sourdough bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten to blend

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon and saute until crisp and golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.
3. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

Rosemary Sourdough Rolls and Maple Butter

We buy our Rosemary Sourdough Rolls from Wegmans bakery.

• 1/2 cup​ butter (​softened)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Combine the butter and maple syrup in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended and fluffy. 
2. If desired, roll into a tube shape in a piece of parchment paper and chill. Serve soft next to warmed rolls.

Great North Salad

Panning the Globe has the best endive and kale salad! I’ve linked it here for you!

Roasted Vegetables

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you may need a bit more)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 – 1-1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 pound (about 1-1/2 cups) large Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and halved
• 1 pound (about 4-1/2 cups) baby red potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 large red onion, halved and cut into thick 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound (about 1-1/4 cup) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3/4 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 tablespoon dried rosemary
• Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and get a large (11×17-inch). Prepare the veggies: peel the carrots and cut into large chunks (if they are thick do 1 inch chunks if they are thinner do 1-1/2 inch chunks), remove the outer leaves of the brussels and halve them, halve the baby red potatoes (quarter especially large ones), halve the red onion and cut into thick 1-inch pieces, peel the sweet potato(s) and cut into large 1-1/2 inch chunks/slices.
2. Place all the prepared vegetables in one even layer, the key is to not overlap or you’ll steam the veggies instead of roasting them, on the prepared baking sheet. Add salt and pepper to taste, oregano annd rosemary. Add the olive oil and toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil.
3. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping the veggies 20 minutes into baking time.

Tim Hortons Monkey Bread

You know I’m not a baker so what’s more than Tim Hortons? The morning of Canadian Thanksgiving we went to Tim Hortons and ordered 40 honey dip timbits. I grabbed my Stonewall salted caramel sauce and started building a tower! It was delicious, the perfect way to end our Canadian Thanksgiving.

I hope I’ve inspired you for your next family gathering or holiday menu planning!