Happy Thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving! Great news, research shows that being thankful and grateful boosts our immunity, which can have massive consequences to our health. Scientific research also shows that the more we focus on what we are grateful for, the happier, healthier and more optimistic we become. Research studies found that heart patients that scored the highest on gratitude had better quality sleep, less inflammation and sunnier moods. Thanksgiving thoughts are best served every day. As proverb “a happy heart is as good as medicine” goes, being thankful makes us happy, and being happy helps us be healthy.

Aside from the great meal with people your care about; the joys of Thanksgiving Day are won by doing the mental work of being thankful. When I eat my thanksgiving meal may I be thankful for provision, and for the farmers that do the work so we can all eat and to God who gives the farmers the rain and sunshine for the crops to grow, and my daily breath of life. I am thankful to wake up in the morning as each day is a gift. I am thankful to have something to do and to be able to do it. I am grateful for kind people in life, as they are truly the cake and the icing. I know I can even be grateful for the difficult people, as they show me who I do not want to be.

I always look forward to the enjoying the traditional foods of thanksgiving. The menu is pretty standard year after year all across the prairies: turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, fresh carrots from the garden (or other veggies) salad and maybe some wine. The desert of choice, of course, is pumpkin pie, with whipped cream, and the recipe was in last weeks edition of the Vermilion Voice

Turkey

The turkey can be roasted with the breast up or down. If you put the breast down the turkey breast meat will be moister, it will unfortunately not have that golden browned magazine perfect look. To have a nicely browned turkey, then roast with the breast up and uncover during the last hour of cooking to brown the turkey. Cook an unthawed and unstuffed turkey for 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees, or until juices run clear and an internal temperature of 170-degree F. Reserve the juices for the gravy. I always like to add a little poultry seasoning, with the salt and pepper to the gravy for an amazing flavour.

Turkey Stuffing

Cut up one loaf of bread, (whole grain) into cubes, add 2 medium chopped onions, toss with 1/3 cup light olive oil, 1/2 cup melted butter, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste. Yes, you have to taste it to get it right, before you pop the stuffing into the oven. Cook in 2 loaf pans, covered loosely with tin foil in the oven during the last 30-40 minutes of roasting the turkey. It is currently recommended to not cook the stuffing in the turkey. Roasting the turkey without the stuffing inside is considered a safer cooking method to help ensure the optimal internal cooking temperature of the turkey.

Cranberry Sauce

In a saucepan combine 2 1/2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup maple syrup or sugar. (add more sugar if you like it to sweeter, and less tart) Cook on low heat, occasionally stirring, breaking up some of the berries when cooked with the back of the spoon. Remove from heat when thicken and slightly reduced. Serve warm or cold. This can also be used as a jam on toast. It’s very healthy and tasty. You can also add in one or two chopped oranges at the beginning for a fresh citrus cranberry flavour.