It’s finally October, and although we didn’t need to go right from sweltering heat last week to freezing wind and rain this week, it is my favourite season. The fall colours, the Halloween candy, the big sweaters to cover up the Halloween candy, and most of all, Thanksgiving! I love that in Canada, Thanksgiving falls in October and is spaced out from Christmas.
Thanksgiving is about two things – food and family. Ask anyone what kind of stuffing they like, or how they prefer their mashed potatoes and there is a good chance the will say how their mom, dad or grandparent has been preparing it all their lives. These recipes are as much a part of a family’s history as the memories of the times they’ve enjoyed them.
Through the years, a family’s shared love of the food that is only theirs, ties them together. Just look at what’s on the menu for a family feast and you have a unique view of how different cultures converge to form who that family is today.
This is very much the case for the Rome family. A combination of Croatian, Ukrainian and Italian recipes all have a place at their table. After losing a vital member of their family, Matthew along with his daughter Cheryl work hard to keep the love alive through the food and gatherings of their family.
Chris Karsisiotis, store manager for the Loblaws Burnhamthorpe, was excited to have Matthew and Cheryl in-store. He said they a have a lot of “Matthew”, family members who love food and want to keep memories alive, who come into the store looking for ingredients and suggestions on how to make things taste just like they remember. At Loblaws, we’re proud of the role we play in helping to keep these traditions going.
No matter what plans my family has for Thanksgiving, my kids always beg me to make my traditional turkey dinner at some point. I am certainly not a great cook, but I make an incredible Thanksgiving dinner. A lot of that is thanks to my mom’s recipes, many of which were passed down from her mother. Her stuffing recipe is simple and delicious, and candied sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows are a must. My mom has tried to mix things up over the years, but it’s always met with protests. We have mashed potatoes too because you can never have too many potatoes. I firmly believe they should be their own food group. I make the cranberries the way my dad taught me—that was always his job. I have my mom’s gravy recipe but I have never figured out how to do it without ruining it. Maybe the people at Loblaws can tell me if my mom is leaving out a secret ingredient! It’s probably just me. Coffee is the only brown liquid I have mastered making.
No time for a magazine-worthy presentation – we were all too eager to dig in!
What are your Thanksgiving dinner traditions?
Disclosure – I have been compensated to write this post. And I may start charging my family to eat my delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
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