Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving... I know you all might be  musing over this title wondering, "Was yesterday really Canadian Thanksgiving??", "Is Victoria Canadian??", "Is Canadian Thanksgiving like REGULAR Thanksgiving??". The answer to the first two is NO. The answer is the third is YES.

I'd like to start by saying that Monday of this week was technically Canadian Thanksgiving, but due to the nature of the crowd that came together last night, Wednesday was a much more "do-able" night for the feast this week. To answer the second question, I am not in fact Canadian however my sister-in-law is and this party happened to be held by her younger sister (whom we have decided to refer to as also my sister-in-law..."my sister-in-law's sister" is just too much). Anywho, Whitney - the host- decided that in honor of her Canadian roots she would hold a get together to celebrate this day of saying thanks for Dahlicious fall food, for her friends and family in Chicago. Not to mention we learned a bit about some of her family's traditions around the holiday season (I know, I know, most of us wouldn't consider it the "holiday season" yet, but I ate turkey and stuffing last night so I'm gonna go ahead and say that the "season" has commenced.)

Whitney is a nurse, so luckily she had the entire day off yesterday to slave away in the kitchen making a long list of tasty classics with her own family's spin - and I must admit I am in awe of her skills and her effortless attitude of being calm and collected!

On the Menu:

• The Bird - which weighed something like 23lbs.. this was for 9 people and was MORE than enough. Everyone was sent home with leftovers.
• Stuffing - this is a family recipe but the "secret ingredients" here are sausage and butter
• Mashed Potatoes - also a fam recipe but the trick to it's creaminess is LOTS of cream cheese
• Green Beans - simple and buttery
• Waldorf Salad - a Dahlicious rendition with apples, celery, grapes, bananas and raisins 
• Yorkshire Pudding - I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of this but just imagine a popover.. and if you've never had a popover then imagine the most incredibly buttery, fluffy, heavenly pastry you've ever experienced (oh and go try a popover)
• Pumpkin Cheesecake - at Thanksgiving I am more of a pecan pie girl because I often think that punkin pie (yes that's how I prefer to say and spell it, just let it be) is too pungent, so this was right up my alley. All the goodness of that punkin flavor without the intensity - not to mention an insanely Dahlicious crust.

I will be putting up some of these recipe's in separate posts for easier organizing/sorting! So be on the lookout in case you're interested in adding some new & improved twists to your holiday meals!

The Main Event - Lots of juicy dark meat on that guy!... and white too if you're one of those people...

Penny's Sausage Stuffing

Waldorf Salad

These aren't Whitney's (theyre from google) but you get the idea of what Yorkshire Pudding is

Cranberry Sauce

Buttery Green beans

Cream Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Could this plate be any cuter or more Dahlish???

Punkin Cheesecake Heaven

It was really fun to get together with extended family (Whitney and her boyfriend Ryan) and their friends/family here in Chicago. Still considering myself new to the Windy City I sure appreciate these dinner parties where I get to meet new crowds. You start to realize that when you get older and continue migrating your life from city to city that you end up with a hodge podge of friends, which is just the way I like it! Not to mention, as a food lover (perhaps obsessor) I can definitely say that partaking in eating events such as last night is a joy for me and my belly! Thanks Whitney for a Dahlicious night!