• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work with Me
    • Media Kit
    • Evolv Health: Valerie’s Story
    • Personal Stories
    • Press
    • Year in Review
  • Thermomix® Independent Consultant
    • Thermomix® Independent Consultant
    • Client Testimonials
    • Recipes Developed by Valerie
  • Projects
    • Cheesepalooza
      • Cheesepalooza Challenges
      • Cheesepalooza Participants
      • Preparation for Cheesepalooza!
      • Basic Ingredient and Supply List
      • Ingredient and Matierial Suppliers
    • Dueling Daughters Project 2014
    • Eat Alberta
    • Gramsy Glimpses
      • Gramsy Glimpses Vignettes
    • Project 2019: Valerie’s Personal Evolv Health Story
    • Project 2017: Cooking in the Kitchen With….
      • Completed Project 2017 Posts: Cooking in the Kitchen With….
      • Project 2017: Cooking in the Kitchen With… PARTICIPATE
      • Project 2017: Cooking in the Kitchen with….Schedule
    • Slow Food Edmonton Tastings
      • Participate!
    • The Canadian Food Experience Project
      • Participate!
      • Participants
      • Challenges and Round Ups
      • Canadian Food Heroes Series
  • Events
    • Baby Shower
    • Food Blogger Meetings
    • Promotions
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Reviews (Products, Books, and Events)
  • Philosophy
    • In a Nutshell
    • Local Produce/Producers
    • Slow Food
    • Teaching
  • Travel
    • Bosnia
    • British Columbia
    • California
    • Croatia
    • Culinary Tourism
    • Farmer’s Markets
    • France
    • Greece
    • Hawaii
    • Italy
    • Louisiana
    • Maritime Provinces
    • Massachusetts
    • Mexico
    • Montenegro
    • Nova Scotia
    • Prince Edward Island
    • Quebec
    • Serbia
    • United Kingdom
    • Utah
  • Trends
  • Store
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy for A Canadian Foodie
  • Valerie’s Image

A Canadian Foodie

Canadian Food Recipes; Preserving Canadian Food Practices

  • A La Carte
    • Appetizers
    • Drinks
    • Evolv Health Reboot Recipes
      • Reboot Phase 1 Mains
    • Garnishes
    • Salads
    • Sauces Dressings Rubs
    • Sides
    • Soups and Stocks
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Cheese
    • Blue/Stinky
    • Firm
    • Fresh
    • Hard/Pressed
    • Cheesepalooza Challenge
    • Cheesepalooza Round Up
  • Desserts
    • Cakes
    • Cookies, Bars and Squares
      • Christmas Cookies
    • Ice Cream, Sorbets and Frozen Yogurt
    • Icings/Frosting and Pastry Creams
    • Other
    • Pies and Tarts
    • Puddings
    • Sweets and Treats
  • Doughs and Crusts
    • Biscuits
    • Bread Buns and Flatbread
    • Crackers
    • Donuts, Frybreads and Such
    • Dumplings etc
    • Pasta
    • Pastry
  • Mains
    • Beef
    • Casseroles
    • Chicken/Duck/Goose/Turkey
    • Marinades and Rubs
    • Pasta Dishes
    • Pork
    • Potluck
    • Savory Pies Pastries
    • Seafood and Fish
    • Stews
    • Vegetarian
    • Veal
    • Wild Game
    • Wraps Pizzas Casual Food
  • Seasonal
    • Autumn
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Winter
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
  • Gardens
    • Foraging
    • My Garden and From My Garden
    • Preserves
    • Zone Three Harvest
  • Tastings
  • Kids
  • Canadian Food
    • Atlantic Provinces
    • Canadian Aboriginal Food
    • Canadian Berries
    • Canadian Cakes
    • Canadian Doughs
    • Canadian Drinks
    • Canadian Fish
    • Canadian Food Heroes
    • Canadian Food Main
    • Desserts
    • Grandma Maude’s Family Recipes
    • Mom Helen’s Famous Family Recipes
    • Canadian Products
    • Sunday Suppers
    • Wild Food

Thanksgiving 2015

October 9, 2015 by Valerie Lugonja 6 Comments

Changes bring on the tears, fears and cheers!

A Canadian Foodie How to roast a turkey

Somethings never change. I order my turkey from Sunworks farms every year, stand in line at 7 am with a few hundred others and celebrate this tradition and succulent bird. My dad’s mom’s roaster is used every year. No new-fangled roaster would compare.

A Canadian Foodie Homemade Turkey Dressing

Make the same dressing that has been in our family for over 7 generations. The meal would not be the same without it.

1 Turkey Wing Gravy

Homemade turkey gravy is expected. And, there is no more “making the grade”. I have it down. Pat. Thank you mom, and grandma, and great-grandma, and back and back and back.

8 Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes. Yes. Rarely the make ahead kind, above, but sometimes. Usually, just good old fashioned mashed potatoes. Why not let that gravy do its thing?

yam

Yams are also always on the table. Simply baked, peeled and sliced. That is it. Always there.

a canadian foodie homemade cranberry sauce

Canned cranberry sauce is not an option. Homemade. Homemade. Every dish must have the love and tradition of our family worked into it.

Sourdough Buns 147

Homemade buns. No one can make them better than my mom. At 85, she is still bringing the buns. And butter. Nothing else. Leftovers? Turkey on buns with butter and cranberry sauce with salt and pepper. Hello, Dad! I know you are missing these!

Parsnips and Leeks

The last few years I make a dish of oven roasted parsnips with leeks and the leftovers are used in the most divine soup where I just add pear. Mmmmm….

A Candian Foodie Coleslaw

Coleslaw, to remember dad. It was always a must when he sat at the head of our family table. This is our second Thanksgiving without dad. I miss him every day.

A Canadian Foodie Pumpkin Pie 2

The grand finale? Homemade, from the pumpkin, pumpkin pie. Used to be Libby’s, but no more. Oh, how Judy would love her pumpkin pie. But not this year. No pumpkin pie for Judy. I remember baking this pie last year, thinking of her and hoping she would enjoy our meal. I miss my sister. Every day. So, this past year there have been lots of tears. No more dad, no more Judy. Lots of fears. Just mom and me from my original family unit. I cannot imagine how this must feel to my mom.

Gramsy and William 60th

And cheers! Two days after my sister passed, William was born. He is the light of my life. Of course, beside Vanja. Another reason to cheer. The best husband anyone could every dream of, let alone marry. Yup. That happened to me. And though our family is very very small, we share measureless love for one another. My sister’s son, Denver and his wife Sara, are a part of our family unit now. Mom, Vanja and I, Ragan, Aaron and Lauren and William, Denver and Sara: small, but steadfast.

A Canadian Foodie Thanksgiving Turkey 057

Thanksgiving 2015, Ragan is moving into a condo she has just purchased and our dinner will be shared with everyone who helps her on Saturday. I am so thankful for the friends that we have that just come. She is moving. They know. No need to be asked. They just come and help. But, that is another entire story… the wonderful friends I am thankful for. Right now, I am going to stay focused on my family and the food on our table that is so so simple, yet binds us together through the generations. Happy Thanksgiving 2015, all!

All of these recipes are on my site with step by step instructions. Just go to the homepage and put the title in the search box in the top right or use the recipe menus.

Tweet
Pin1
Share27
28 Shares

Filed Under: Holiday, Personal Stories

About Valerie Lugonja

Like what you see? SUBSCRIBE TO A CANADIAN FOODIE
Educator, Writer, Gardener and Traveler who believes in buying and eating locally, and most importantly cooking at home! As a brand new Gramsy, so be prepared to hear a lot about this new role in her life!
Please connect with Valerie to buy a Thermomix Machine!

« Thermomix Cookbooks are In!
Friends for Dinner and a Tasting »

You might also enjoy...

Gatherings: Man Candy
Pea Tendrils, Salmon, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Bocconcini with Ajvar
Prince William Visits Edmonton, Alberta!
Turkey on a Bun
Canadian Holiday Basic: Turkey on a Bun with Cranberry Sauce
Canadian Easter Dinner: Menu Planning and Recipes

Comments

  1. fnord says

    October 9, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    That is One Old Roaster!!!

    I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of your father and sister; it’s wonderful that your little family is still growing, and that all of them live hear enough to be able to get together.

    I confess around this time of year, my memories go back to the local turkey shoot — and me in elementary school just *willing* him to win, even against the teacher with the very fancy gun. And so he did. Both the trap shoot and the target shooting. And my mother asked whatever would we do with two turkeys … and then got to figuring out who to give it to, who might not have one for Thanksgiving, or who might have a hard time meeting the cost of one at Christmas but had a freezer. It’s been 25 years since my father left us, and over a decade for my mom. And I still miss them on every special day.

    (That cranberry sauce looks to die for: might your great-great-great-great ancestors’ recipe be shared at some point???)

    Reply
    • Valerie Lugonja says

      October 10, 2015 at 7:09 am

      What a great story!
      I love reading your reflections and so much appreciate you making and taking the time to enrich this space with your life experiences!
      All of the recipes in this post except the parsnips are on my site. Just go to the home page, either use the recipe menu or write one word in the search window to the right and it will come up… like cranberry.
      🙂
      If you still need the links, let me know, and I will send them to you…
      Also, you can go to Seasonal Recipes in the Menu Bar, and they should all by there, under Holidays.
      🙂

      Reply
      • fnord says

        October 10, 2015 at 3:00 pm

        Found it! Thanks so much, Val. It sounds unbelievably easy … and if it has so much pectin, maybe some kind of fruit/berry-jam relish might be in the offing.

        Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

        Reply
        • Valerie Lugonja says

          October 13, 2015 at 8:12 pm

          Oh yes, everyone tries to doctor it up with sour cherries, ginger – the entire gamete. I am a purest and like it just ask it is… but must say, love the relishes, too.

          Reply
  2. Marilyn says

    October 10, 2015 at 2:13 pm

    Enjoyed reading about your Thanksgiving traditions so much

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Thermomix® Independent Consultant; Executive Team Lead Alberta

Weekly Newsletter

Saturday Morning News

More Thermomix Recipes etc »

Preserved Evans Cherries

Sour or Tart Preserved and Dried Evans Cherries: A Canadian Foodie Original

More ACF Famous Recipes or Specialties»

Fresh Water Chestnut Salad with Green Peas and Almonds

More Winter Recipes »

Mom’s Meatloaf

More Recipes from my mom Helen »

Connect With Me!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
projects

My Post Archives

Come On In And Kiss the Cook

Educator, Writer, Gardener and Traveler who believes in buying and eating locally, and most importantly cooking at home! [Read More …]

Connect With Me

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Alberta Beef on a Bun

More Canadian Recipes »

Lifetime Achievement Award

Canadian Web Blog Award 2013 www.acanadianfoodie.com FIRST

Vote-for-me
Best in Food NEW
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Copyright © 2023 · Website by PoundPig