Thanksgiving Recipes with a Twist

Autumn is my absolute favourite time year. I feel like it is a season made to excite our senses. From the crisp fall air, to the crunch of leaves beneath our feet to the tempting lure of everything cozy and pumpkin spice. 

I was born on thanksgiving weekend and for me it is an extra special time to reflect on another year and all that I have to be grateful for. 

This year with the world grasping to find peace and stability in their new normal I think it is more important than ever to count our blessings and tell the ones we love how much they mean to us (whether by zoom or sharing a bountiful table with them this weekend).

We are keeping it on a smaller scale this year but will still be indulging in our traditional favourites as well as testing out some new recipes. A short while ago Merridale Cidery & Distillery shared a bottle of their Cowichan Spiced Rhumb with us and we knew we had to hang onto it for a special occasion, and what better time than around a cozy fire and table full of food?

Merridale Cidery and Distillery is located in the heart of Cowichan on Vancouver Island, British Columbia where they make farm-crafted Cider, Spirits, and Fortified Ciders. Made from 100% Undiluted Apple Juice that is grown and produced at our Cobble Hill farm.

At Merridale, everything starts in the orchard at the Cobble Hill farm. They like to think of themselves as a delicious destination. A place where you can be introduced to all they do, and you know, kind of fall in love with them. They welcome you to tour, to taste, to eat, to learn, to relax, and above all, to have fun. They invite everyone - Kids and dogs, too! 

Merridale is a team of people who are passionate about what they do and how they do it. They focus on traditional methods and practices with some innovation to ensure that they never compromise the end product. They are proud of everything they make and we want their customers to share in their passion and pride. We absolutely love a farm based business and we know you will too.

So with that said we decided to play around with their Cowichan Spiced Rhumb to spike a few of our family traditions around the table this year.

A rhumb line is an imaginary line on the earth's surface used as the standard method of plotting a ship's course on a chart. It is a path with a constant bearing.  Their 4 year path to make rum from BC grown products led them to a method using BC honey, fermented, distilled two times in their small batch copper still, and then aged in oak barrels at the farm in Cobble Hill. They kept their bearings through years of challenges to get to this truly Cowichan version of rum. 43% alc.

I decided to add a little jazz to my must have turkey accompaniment, cranberry sauce. While everyone at our table doesn't love the bitter sweet flavours of this traditional sauce I have many found memories and me and my granddad scooping heaping helpings onto our plates throughout our rowdy dinners. He has long since passed but the tradition of making it every year (even if its just for a handful of us) is one I cherish. 

So this year, ditch the idea of grabbing a can of this ruby ready goodness and make your own. Its simple, a right of passage and this time were spiking it (pretty sure Grandpa wont mind).