My first Canadian Thanksgiving dinner!

After all this time in Toronto, I never have embraced the holiday of Thanksgiving.  I have always found another thing to do, another place to visit, so much so that I never really stopped and consider experiencing it.  This year however, I have a visiting cousin from Manila who would be arriving Thanksgiving weekend.  He gave me the perfect excuse to make a production of organizing and cooking a Thanksgiving dinner so he can add it to his collection of Canadian experiences…(lol…this is too funny for me).

So I scoped out a lot of blogs, forums and opinions of friends and family how they make their Thanksgiving Turkey and all the fixins that come along with it.  I settled with several recipes I found online and some word of advise coming from friends.  So here is my menu for the night:

• Basil, Garlic and Black Pepper Rubbed Turkey
• Ham, Celery and Baguette Croutons Stuffing
• Cranberry Sauce
• Cranberry  and Maple Syrup Hamonado (Cranberry and Maple Syrup Glazed Pork Roast)
• Grilled Vegetables drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt
• Hasselback Potatoes (partially slivered baked potatoes with garlic, salt and extra virgin olive oil)
• Jasmine Rice ( I know this doesn’t fit with the rest of the Canadian stuff, but hey!  It’s a Filipino must-have every meal…hehehe)
• Sago and Gulaman sweet drink (It’s tapioca balls and jello with sweet syrup cold Filipino drink)

Pretty hearty dinner eh?  I was literally stuffed (seemed fitting as I feel like I was imitating the turkey! lol) and was happy that there were not that many left-overs!  I am pretty thankful of the family around me and the friends that make everyday all worth while.  It was a good first Thanksgiving dinner for me.  I believe this is a tradition I would embrace and make my own ;)