Canadian readers, you're so lucky. October is such a civilized month to celebrate Thanksgiving and over a long weekend, no less. (The official date for Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday, October 12 but many families enjoy the Thanksgiving meal the Saturday or Sunday before.) Many of you are likely turkey-deep in planning, even cooking, this year's Thanksgiving menu. Imagine, luxuriating in the tradition of Thanksgiving, at the height of autumn, a full six weeks before the Christmas busy-ness begins.
American readers, perhaps you'll join me in celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving this year? You see, I 'miss' cooking Thanksgiving dinner, it's been far too long since I put America's favorite meal on the table. So last year, I vowed to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving too, cooking all the traditional Thanksgiving favorites, reveling in Thanksgiving leftovers, filling the freezer with leftover turkey, perhaps testing some recipes for this year's American Thanksgiving on 'uncivilized' Thursday, November 26, perhaps (with any luck!) sharing some new favorites here on Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture!
So whether you celebrate in October or November, here are recipe suggestions for Thanksgiving menus. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
(recipes from Kitchen Parade & A Veggie Venture)Roast Turkey or
Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast
with Turkey Gravy
Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
or
Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes'
World's Best Green Bean Casserole
or
Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Squash Puff or Turnip Puff
(traditional for my Canadian family)
Creamy Carrot Purée
Cranberry Chutney
Homemade Yeast Rolls with Butter Pats
American Apple Pie with Flaky Tender Pie Crust
and
Honey Pumpkin Pie
or
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
~ More Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ More Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipe Ideas ~
a collection of recipes three years in the making
from A Veggie Venture
More Thanksgiving Resources
Thanksgiving Planningfrom Simply Recipes
Thanksgiving Recipes for
Vegetarians & Vegans
from 101 Cookbooks
Gluten-Free
Thanksgiving Recipes & Tips
from Karina's Kitchen
Low-Glycemic Thanksgiving Recipes
(especially suitable for diabetic and low-carb dieters)
from Kalyn's Kitchen
Thanksgiving Menu Generator
from Bon Appetit
© Copyright 2009 Kitchen Parade
Your Comments:
Are there recipes unique to Canada (okay, I know that each province has its own flair, just like our regions in the US), that would be fun to try to help celebrate the "civilized" Thanksgiving?
Oh, and does civilized mean drinking tea with our pinkies extended? Or does it just mean saying "eh" at the end of a question? LOL
And it's so not as big a deal. We get a 3-day weekend (with the Mon. off), and when I was in college, for instance, most students didn't travel home for it unless they lived close by.
P.S., while the date Canadian Thanksgiving landed on was more or less arbitrary (seriously, it started out being celebrated in March, I think, and moved around the calendar for a while), in most of Canada there's precious little to be thankful for in November. In most of the country winter's either started or hovering ominously, and in my hometown it just rains miserably the whole month. It's no time for a harvest festival or a celebration of abundance, anyway!
I enjoy your articles very much!!
Patricia ~ Ha! At least in my family's experience, the foods are the same. As for unique recipes, I'll ask the Canadian readers to chime in. Are there typical "Canadian" recipes for Thanksgiving? Or is this another example of the similar tracks that Canadians and Americans develop?
On a serious note - I do think there's a certain Canadian sensibility that's different than what I think of as 'American'.
Thanks for a chutney chuckle!
Halifax ~ You're welcome!
Camille ~ I love that laid-back idea of Thanksgiving, yes, that I too have experienced. I wonder if it's possible if American started off that way too, but with the whole commercialization of Christmas, Thanksgiving was elevated as the "first" day of "THE holidays".
Marilyn ~ Thanks! Nice to have tomatoes so long!