Post-Thanksgiving Update

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, Thanksgiving here in the Lower Mainland, was comfortably warm, sunny and the perfect day to have the oven on for hours. Today it is overcast, gloomy and perhaps a better day to have the oven on for hours. At any rate, yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner was a hit. Jami makes a wonderful autumnal salad with pumpkin seeds, cooked squash, apples, greens and a tasty homemade dressing. My turkey, gravy, dressing, green beans and mashed potatoes passed muster. And the souffled yams Tena brought were prefect. My maternal grandma's cranberry dish (cranberries and an entire orange whirred up in a food processor with sugar added to taste) was also a hit. But the biggest winner of the meal was the Cranberry Gingerbread Upside-down Cake I made using Anna Olson's recipe.

Photo credit - Food Network.ca

Even though I didn't take this picture, mine looked the same, sans the caramel sauce on the side. The cake didn't need it, IMHO. If you want a change of pace for a special fall dessert, try this recipe out. It makes six 1/2 cup ramekin-sized servings, but I found most of my guests wanted only a quarter- or half-sized serving, it is that rich.

We had a mix of American and Canadian diners at the table yesterday. And of course, Paul being the type of guy he is, had to ask about the genesis of the Canadian Thanksgiving tradition; clearly it would not be the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. So we asked the Canadians and they seemed about as unsure about the topic as we were. Luckily this morning Tena's husband, Ron shared this link with us. As we suspected it has to do with a bountiful harvest. Thanks Ron!

What surprised me is Thanksgiving is an official statutory holiday in all provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. I really don't know what the Eastern parts of Canada do about the holiday. Looks like there is more information to seek out.

Oh yeah, this is a knitting blog. I did finish knitting Close to You. It is being blocked as I write and will appear one final time after it has dried.

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