Well here it is almost Thanksgiving in Canada. A bit earlier than where I come from as most of  you know but this way I get to celebrate both times. After this weekend of feasting I will just have to wait until the end of November to do it again. Fall is in the air, or was, and now it’s starting to feel more like winter up here. Some places have already had snow and it looks as if we might have a few flurries during the holiday weekend but for now it’s rain, rain, and more rain. It’s that time of year when a group of us gather in Fargo, ND for our annual Thanksgiving cross border trip. A smaller group than normal this year but enough of us to still raise a fuss and shop and eat until we can’t stand it anymore. Not a lot of shopping for this guy though. I’m still pulling tags off clothes from some of my previous trip south so I don’t need anything. I am however going to look for a leather coat while down there and maybe, just maybe, a few other items if some sale catches my eye. There are 2 of us having birthdays during the weekend so it has been decided that each of us gets to pick where we want to dine that evening. Kevin has picked Mexican which will no doubt steer us to Paradiso which is one of our usual stops and I’ve opted for Italian at Grazies Italian Grill. Both excellent places to dine. The rest of the weekend…who knows. So many good places to eat there and I don’t think we’ve missed many. You have Outback, Timber Lodge Steak House (really good) Aliens, Green Mill, Bennigan’s, Texas Roadhouse (another winner) and the list goes on. If it’s food or bargains, our group knows where to look.

For the most part the leaves are still green here. Not much for autumn foliage but then again there doesn’t normally seem to be much autumn up here. Where I come from there are really 4 seasons and right about this time the leaves are starting to change and creating some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere.

There are times when I really miss this brilliant display but I have transportation and I can get to other places much like this without any trouble. I like to travel anyway so I will see some colors this year. Ever since I was old enough to remember I have always loved the fall season and it’s colors.

We will be dining out on the trip but I remember all those great meals we would have at home when I was young. So much food and all of it so good. By Thanksgiving all the crops had been harvested and the wood for the winter had been stacked in the woodshed. It was now time to just enjoy the wonders of nature. So many times I remember walking through the woods and admiring the colors and watching as the critters scampered about storing food for the upcoming winter. On a nice windy day I would sit and just watch as this curtain of leaves would fall joyfully dancing and fluttering downward and listen to the soft noises they made as they came to rest on the ground. Soon the entire forest floor would be covered with this beautiful carpet of soft and not yet dried leaves. I could walk through the woods without making a sound and I did many times as I traveled for miles just taking in everything and learning. I was lucky to have lived a life like this which so many never have or ever will. Even the fall air seemed so crisp and that just drove the appetite level to an all time high.

At our house we had the usual Thanksgiving dinner with the turkey and ham but lots of people had what they called “stuffed ham”. Stuffed ham was traditionally an Easter thing but lots had them on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The more of them the better I say.

Want a real treat….then try this on for size…sooo good.

It is told that the cook at St. Inigoes, a negro slave, wanted to serve something appetizing and pleasant to the Jesuit Fathers after their long and stringent fasting. She used what was available; a country cured ham, fresh greens from the gardens and fields, spiced with condiments from the kitchen and plenty of home grown hot red pepper, which had been ground with a mortar and pestle.
It is known that the emigrants from St. Mary's to Kentucky in the late seventeen hundreds carried the custom with them and their descendants still have stuffed ham on Easter Sunday. 
Today an old country ham is too valuable to stuff so a corned ham is usually used.
1 (14 lb.) corned ham 2 med. heads cabbage 4 lbs. kale 2 lbs. onions 1 bunch celery 1 (2 2/3 oz.) box mustard seed 1 (1 3/4 oz.) box celery seed 5 level tbsp. salt 6 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don't like it hot)
Chop onions and greens; mix seasonings with greens. Pierce ham, starting with butt end, with 2" pockets on a 45 degree angle from top to bottom. Alternate 3 pockets, then 2 pockets, etc. to hock end, making sure slits are not parallel. Press seasoned stuffing into slits with thumbs until slits will hold no more.
Put ham in a cloth bag or old pillow case; add all leftover stuffing, tie. Put ham into a large pot and simmer or boil slowly for 20 minutes to the pound. If a cooked ham is used, reduce cooking time by 1 hour. Turn heat off and let ham sit in it's own liquid and cool enough to handle (about 2 hours). Take ham bag out and set in a pan to drain. Remove ham from bag and place on a large platter. Take excess stuffing from bag and pack on top of ham. Place in refrigerator overnight. Serve cold. 
Oven Method: Place ham in several layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Wrap very tightly around ham. Cook 20 minutes per pound in 325 degree oven. Allow to cool in foil. Serve cold.

Stuffed ham by itself or as a sandwich. Just stand back from the ham when I get there and no one will get hurt. I remember (even as I grew older) going to other people’s houses where I knew a stuffed ham would be and couldn’t wait to be offered some. Even after eating a full meal I could still visit at least 3 other houses and have a sandwich at each. I just couldn’t get enough of this stuff. Like nothing you’ve ever tasted. I’d be fuller than a tick on a hound dog but put some stuffed ham in front of me and I would fine a place to put it. Those were the days I’m telling you and I’ll never forget them. I’m toying with the idea of having a stuffed ham here when I celebrate Thanksgiving in November.

I’ve decided to have a group of friends over for this feast since I get fed all the time at everyone else’s homes and a feast it will probably end up being. There will be stuffed turkey, stuffed ham, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, mashed turnips, green bean casserole, orange cranberry relish, coleslaw, homemade bread and who knows what else. Heck I might even throw in a few racks of bar be qued ribs. Oh yes and for dessert there will be plenty of my homemade sweet potato pies which have become the rage from here to BC and back. Just ask my niece Sharon in BC. She has become a celebrity out there since she started making them. I think if she were to show up without one, they would probably send her back home.

Geez now I’m hungry and can’t wait to get started cooking up this meal but for now it’s time for a trip across the border and lots of eats and good times with my friends down there.

If I don’t write anymore before I leave then here’s wishing all of you out there a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with lots of cheer, food, friends and family.