October 14^th is almost here!  With Thanksgiving comes the bountiful harvest.  The bountiful harvest Vincent Massey spoke of allows us Canadians an all-weekend, feasting festival with family and friends.  Every second Monday in October is a time to give thanks for all that we have in The Great White North.  We are very proud to celebrate the Holiday with an enormous sale on all that you will need to conquer any culinary task.

Most folks in Canada and the US celebrate with a turkey for Thanksgiving. Adding ham or any other protein complements the bountiful harvest!  Side dishes are always a huge hit.  Many find this meal stressful and tasking.  With proper tools, equipment, and timing, the home cook can bring this meal together easier than one thinks using all our great Sale Items and our Thanksgiving Prep Guide.

The most important prep piece when roasting a turkey is brining.  This part scares a few people away from the fun of Thanksgiving.  Let that not be you with this simple mathematical equation.  Two cups of each brown sugar & kosher salt along with 2 gallons of water create a perfect brine for a fifteen to eighteen-pound turkey. Incorporating your favorite herbs guarantee a tasty main dish.

Melt the salt and sugar together with just enough water to boil in a Demeyere Atlantis Saucepan.  Add  herbs of your choice into the hot mix and let it all soak until cooled to room temperature.  Utilizing the Fox Run Turkey Brining Bag and your refrigerator drawer makes life easy!  Pour your cooled mix into the bag along with the rest of the very, very cold water. Mix by squishing the bag. Place the turkey ( a 15 pounder and under will fit in the drawer) in the Fox Run Brining Bag, and leave in your produce drawer (or largest clean drawer) for 24 hours.

This is a safe, clean, and simple method that produces a succulent turkey without the mess.  Whether you decide to roast your turkey, in which we love the Weston 22QT Stainless Steel Roaster Oven, or deep fry your turkey (after completely drying it first) in a Winco Backyard Pro 30QT Aluminum Turkey Deep Fry Set, your bountiful harvest will be moist and delicious!  We have EVERYTHING to make your holiday incredible!

A Thanksgiving meal isn’t bountiful until the ham hits the table next to the turkey!  A great take on Jambon au Sirop D’Erable which is simply ham in maple syrup, is adding a pale ale to your sauce.  This recipe is quick and easy when using an All-Clad 6.5QT Electrics Stainless Steel Electric Slow Cooker.

Canadian Thanksgiving Maple Ham

Ingredients

A 5-pound smoked ham

1 tablespoon dry mustard and Dijon mustard

6 cloves

1 bottle favorite pale ale

1 cup of pure Canadian maple syrup

Water to cover

Pepper to taste

Directions

Place clean and washed off ham into the slow cooker.  Prick cloves throughout the ham.  Mix your mustards into the beer, add some syrup, water, and pepper to incorporate.  Pour over the ham.  Add more water to cover ham as much as possible without over-filling.  Cover.  Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.  Wrap up the ham in foil to keep warm while you prepare potatoes in the leftover liquid.

This is a great recipe for a ham due to the juices create a perfect blend of flavors for your potatoes.  The liquid can also become a sauce when placed in a Lodge 9” Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet along with some butter, fat from the ham, and flour.  The addition of cheddar and gruyere cheeses make this sauce a crowd pleaser in au gratin potatoes!

Potatoes are a must-have side dish during Thanksgiving.  Mashed, scalloped, baked, au gratin, or as a salad, potatoes are a mainstay of any table, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Gravy, a potatoes’ best friend is easy as pie to make when using an OXO Good Grips 4 Cup fat Separator, a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet, a Le Creuset Revolution Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk, then serving the sauce in a Maxwell & Williams Cirque Gravy Boat with Saucer finalizes the bountiful harvest.

What a bountiful harvest we have in Canada when it comes to desserts!  October 14^th wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without Nanaimo bars, pumpkin, mincemeat, and apple pies, and maybe some apple oatmeal crisp to start the morning?  The items on sale from cast iron to plates are so bountiful this month Harvest the rewards for your feast today.