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feature 25
Volume 102, Issue 6
Thanksgiving Memories “Love to eat turkey, ‘cause it’s good. Love to eat turkey like a good boy should” - Adam Sandler Adam Sandler was bang on with this particular jingle. Everyone knows that Thanksgiving’s not about friends, or family, or some northern expedition by a bunch of dead explorers — it’s about the incredible spread. Perhaps in Martin Frobisher’s day, people cared about the harvest and safe arrivals, and maybe even
now you pretend that your holiday Monday is spent honouring loved ones. It’s probably easier though to just admit that you love Thanksgiving because you love turkey (or tofurkey, if that’s your thing). Plus, if you’re stuck with awkward relatives you never see, stuffing your mouth with food is a great way to get out of talking to them. So this year, give
Paige Gorsak The Thanksgiving I spent in Toronto is probably my most memorable. My oldest brother played competitive soccer all throughout his (and my) youth, so my family often made his tournaments our family holidays. The year I was 12 we flew to Toronto for nationals in early October. The tournament ended on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so all the other families who traveled with us flew home that day, as well as my dad and the soccerplaying brother. My mom, my other brother and I were left behind in Toronto for the holiday. Now let me first say, I love me some turkey; consequently, being my 12-year-old bratty self, there was no way I was not getting turkey on Thanksgiving — I mean come on, there are only three turkey events in the whole year. I was not missing out on account of my big dumb brother and his big dumb tournament. And so, to appease my childish griping, my mom took my brother and I to Swiss Chalet to get some turkey. I won’t get into the gruesome details, but looking back, I probably should’ve waited till Christmas to get my fix.
a toast to Sandler for his words of wisdom, and give your friends and family a big hug. We at The Gateway, lovers of all things Thanksgiving, are going to share some of our favourite memories and supply you with a few of our favourite Thanksgiving recipes to help you prepare this holiday season.
Ian Phillipchuk
Alana Willerton
Thanksgiving is a time for good food, good friends, abject humiliation and emasculation. Every year my friends and I gather around a lake to enjoy a potluck supper of delicious food and play a few games of Bocce Ball and Ladder Golf. We divide into teams of two, usually along the lines of who is dating whom, and test ourselves in feats of strength and games of skill. One Thanksgiving, I decided I had enough of this “working with your spouse for the betterment of both of you,” and when it came down to picking teams I neatly split the participants down gender lines: strong, masculine men on my side and weak, feminine women on the other side. Naturally, with so much testosterone on our side we couldn’t possibly lose, and the thrill of victory was sure to sate any backlash from my fiancé on not picking her first. As one might expect, team Testaclese dominated the Ovarian menace quite handily, racking up an initial score of 7-0 in a first to eight contest, so male spirits were high heading into the final round. That was not to be, as out of their cleavage the women pulled out two impressive rounds of four and three points respectively, tying the score up in two rounds. Despite summoning up our last vestiges of testicular fortitude, our effort was for nought and the women managed to barely eke out a 11-7 victory, ensuring Thanksgiving would always be about male suffering at heart.
In my family, Thanksgiving has never been the big production that it is for some people. Still, the weekend does hold some importance for another reason: Both my mom and I celebrate our birthdays within three days of each other and at least one of our birthdays always falls on Thanksgiving weekend. You’d think it would be easy for your special day to get lost in the holiday shuffle, but it’s actually the opposite. I can think of a several birthdays where the presence of Thanksgiving only heightened the experience of turning one year older. Whether it was always being guaranteed the taste of a delicious turkey leg on my birthday, the added birthday surprise of Thanksgiving family visits or even just getting the day off from school, my birthday memories have always been made that much better by Thanksgiving. As the details have gotten fuzzy over the years and new memories have replaced the old ones, I’ve learnt to appreciate my Thanksgiving birthday. After all, when your birthday falls on Thanksgiving, you truly get the best of both worlds: the presents and attention that come with birthdays, and the food and family time that come with Thanksgiving.
ROASTED TURKEY Your classic main dish
HONEY ROASTED VEGETABLES A yummy twist on the usual Thanksgiving veggie side dishes
Ingredients 1 fresh or thawed frozen whole turkey (10 to 12 pounds) 1 stalk celery, cut into large pieces 2 dried bay leaves 2 medium carrots, cut into large pieces 2 medium onions, quartered 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, such as Bell’s Coarse salt and ground pepper
Ingredients 2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound total), peeled, halved, and cut into 1/2inch pieces 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 cup walnut halves 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper 3 to 5 sprigs thyme
Directions • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity; set aside. Rinse turkey inside and out under cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. • Stuff cavity of bird with celery, bay leaves, and half the carrots and onions; tie legs together. Rub bird with butter; sprinkle with poultry seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. • Scatter remaining onion quarters and carrot pieces on bottom of a large roasting pan; add turkey neck. Place turkey on a roasting rack in the pan. Cook two-anda-half to three hours, basting frequently after the first hour, until bird is golden brown, thigh juices run clear when pierced, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast (avoiding bone) registers 170 degrees. (If skin is browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Let rest 30 minutes before carving.
Directions • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 3-quart baking dish, toss together sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, walnuts, honey, and oil; season with salt and pepper. • Top with thyme sprigs and roast until vegetables are browned at edges and tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. • ** If your honey crystallizes (a natural occurrence), microwave it for 30 seconds to return it to a liquid state. http://www.marthastewart.com/332398/honey-roasted-vegetables Everyday Food, October 2010
For one more great recipe, this one involving cream-cheese filling, check out our website at www.thegatewayonline.ca.