In case you forgot, Thanksgiving is right around the corner: Oct. 8, to be exact. While this quintessential fall holiday is really about celebrating the harvest and being thankful for the positives of the past year, deep down we all know it’s really about indulging in loads of delicious, dinner-table-creaking food. Oh, and it’s about family too, of course.
While the traditional Thanksgiving feast of turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie may be hard to beat (and it is), even the classics need a refresh from time to time. By adding cannabis to some of your favourite Thanksgiving sides, you can take your holiday get-together up a notch.
Plus, it may make your Uncle Bill’s ramblings a bit easier to handle (although no promises there).
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We’ll show you how to easily add a cannabis-infused kick to three classic Thanksgiving sides:
- Cranberry sauce
- Mashed potatoes
- Mac ‘n’ cheese
Just remember to label all infused food for your guests’ safety.
1. Cannabis-Infused Cranberry Sauce
Next to turkey, there’s no food that says Thanksgiving as much as cranberry sauce does. While there are plenty of variations on this classic side dish, we’re going to keep things simple for you. This version uses a marijuana-infused oil to medicate the cranberry sauce. The marijuana oil will last up to two months, so you can use it to infuse other foods post-Thanksgiving.
Ingredients for Cannabis-Infused Cranberry Sauce
- 1 lb (16 oz) bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of marijuana-infused cooking oil
- Lemon or orange zest
How to Make Cannabis-Infused Cranberry Sauce
- With your stove burner on high, start by combining the cranberries, sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Then add in the cannabis oil and lemon or orange zest and simmer for another minute.
- Finally, place the cranberry sauce in a serving bowl and let cool in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat.
2. Mashed Potatoes With a Cannabis Kick
Now, on to the meat and potatoes of your cannabis Thanksgiving—or the potatoes at least. No Thanksgiving is complete without a mountain of creamy mashed potatoes on your plate. Again, we’re going to stick to a basic mashed potatoes recipe here, but feel free to adjust it based on your own personal tastes. For example, you could add rosemary or green onions for a bit more flair.
For this recipe, you’ll need to have cannabis-infused butter on hand. We have a simple recipe for cannabutter you can make ahead of time.
Ingredients for Mashed Potatoes With a Marijuana Kick
- 4 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed (Yukon gold or russets work best)
- 1/4 cup cannabutter
- 1/2 cup regular butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup chopped chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Mashed Potatoes With a Marijuana Kick
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the cubed potatoes.
- Cook the potatoes until they’re fork tender, which should take about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl, and add the cannabutter, regular butter, sour cream, garlic powder and chives.
- Mix everything together either with an electric mixer or a potato masher. If you don’t have either of these kitchen tools, a regular fork will also work, but it will take longer.
- Mash until the potatoes reach your desired consistency and then add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Canadian Cannabis Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Canadians are famously in love with mac ‘n’ cheese, at least with the boxed Kraft Dinner variety. We eat 55% more of it than our neighbours to the south do, and we’re responsible for nearly a quarter of global KD consumption. While we wouldn’t recommend serving KD at your Thanksgiving feast (we’re trying to keep things classy here, after all), you can still indulge your mac ‘n’ cheese cravings with this delicious recipe.
Ingredients for Canadian Cannabis Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (your choice, but a combination of sharp cheddar, Parmesan or Monterey Jack works well)
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 tbsp cannabutter
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Canadian Cannabis Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Melt the cannabutter in a pot over medium high heat and mix in the flour. Stir until golden brown.
- Add in the milk and whisk over low heat until smooth and the sauce thickens.
- Add in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, stir until melted, and then add in the rest of the cheese a 1/2 cup at a time. Stir until smooth.
- Add the macaroni and stir to coat, then top with salt and pepper to taste.
With the help of these three delicious side dishes, your Thanksgiving feast will be the talk of the town. Just be careful or else you may end up being asked to host every Thanksgiving in the future.
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