Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Yesterday was Canada's Thanksgiving holiday and it was a really cool time to be in the city. After a trek over the Capilano suspension bridge in the morning, we biked along the Seawall of Stanley Park. The views around the park are spectacular, but what made the ride even better was the people. You know what Thanksgiving day is like - you spend the day with friends and family and, before the big feast, you often take a stroll to catch up on life. I saw moms walking with sons. Dads with daughters and grand-kids. It was one of those warm-and-tingly days you so rarely get to enjoy outside of your own American holidays.

That said, I am now FIRED UP for my Thanksgiving feast in the good ole USA. My menu rarely changes because my family has certain expectations. Sometimes I'll add a twist on cranberry sauce (like a chutney or something), but I always serve the can-shaped jelly alongside. I'll often create a sweet treat with chocolate, but never without a slice of my heavenly pumpkin pie. And I never, NEVER change the stuffing. I've been making it the same way for 20+ years and I put a version of it in my Newlywed Cookbook (I put apples in my annual stuffing, as you'll see below). I also don't stuff most of it into the bird - I cook it in a separate baking dish. Feel free to do the same. So, if you want to try something different this year, or want to serve two variations of stuffing/dressing, give my version a whirl!

Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage and Apples

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 links (about 1⁄3 pound) sweet Italian turkey sausage, casing removed, crumbled

1 large onion, chopped (about 11⁄2 cups)

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

31/2 teaspoons dried sage

11/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 day-old sourdough baguettes (1⁄2 pound each), cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes

2 cups chicken broth

2 Mackintosh apples, cored and diced

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté until browned and cooked through, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the onion and celery and sauté 2 minutes. Add the parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper and stir to coat everything with herbs and spices.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the cubed bread, chicken broth and apples. Toss to combine. Spoon mixture into a 4-quart casserole dish that has been coated with non-stick spray.

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

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