Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October. This year, I planned a relaxed menu around an easy fully-cooked spiral ham, that could be just reheated and dressed with pineapple slices and juice. The rest of the spread includes, as shown above, from left: a Mexican touch of cucamelon salsa and pickled güero peppers; garden salad with balsamic vinegar dressing; homemade bread; and baked potatoes*.

And for a sweet end to the meal, a delicious homemade apple pie:

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

* Tip for fast baked potatoes: wash and dry potatoes. Arrange in a circle in the microwave oven; microwave on HIGH, calculating 1.5 minutes per potato (example: 3 potatoes x 1.5 minutes = 4.5 minutes), then flip potatoes and microwave for the same time (example, 4.5 minutes for three potatoes.) Using an oven mitt, transfer to individual pieces of Al foil, and wrap. Place wrapped potatoes in the regular oven, next to the main dish (roast, etc.) during the last hour of cooking, and allow to bake for half an hour to forty five minutes. This method provides soft and creamy baked potatoes in less than one hour.

Indigenous peoples in North America have celebrated the fall harvest since ancient times. After the arrival of European settlers, the first Thanksgiving meal in Canadian soil is generally recognized as the one enjoyed by Sir Martin Frobisher, an English seaman, in the 1570s; Frobisher wanted to give thanks for safe arrival to the New World, during his quest for the Northwest Passage in Arctic waters. Afterwards, following European harvest traditions, Thanksgiving was celebrated in late October or early November. On July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created, and in 1879, Canadian Thanksgiving was declared a National Holiday, celebrated on November 6, every year. After World War I, Armistice Day was celebrated on November 11, and after the end of World War II, the holiday was re-established in Canada as Remembrance Day; because of the proximity of dates, the Canadian Parliament moved Canadian Thanksgiving Day to the second Monday in October, as a day to give thanks for the bountiful harvest across the country.