Thanksgiving is celebrated in America and is the fourth Thursday in November. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln described Thanksgiving as “fruitful fields and healthful skies”
Americans have a long weekend and plan a feast with family and friends and count their blessing and give gratitude for ‘harmony, liberty and industry across the nation’.
Thanksgiving began when the Plymouth Colony invited the local Wampanoag
Tribe to celebrate harvest with them in 1621. Early pilgrims were helped by the Native Americans to hunt and plant crops in unfamiliar landscapes.
For 200 years Thanksgiving was celebrated at different times within different states as the harvest dictated. It has been celebrated as late as December for example when George Washington proclaimed thanksgiving in December 1777 to honour the defeat of the Saratoga. President Lincoln also used the occasion to reconcile the nation after civil war to emphasise shared heritage. It wasn’t until 1941 that President Roosevelt fixed the date of Thanksgiving as part of American Law by signing a congressional bill.
Canadians also celebrate the holiday but it falls earlier for them on the second Monday in October.
There are certain foods that are traditionally served at Thanksgiving; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, fall vegetables and pumpkin pie.
Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Ingredients:
4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground ginger
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Preperation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange potatoes in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil.
Bake potatoes 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until potatoes are tender and syrup thickens slightly, basting occasionally, about 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Top potatoes with marshmallows and nuts. Return to oven; bake until marshmallows begin to melt and nuts begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
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