For Canadian Thanksgiving this year, I had the usually fare: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad and vegetables. Of these, two recipes really stood out.

Food & Wine Magazine’s Apricot-Glazed Turkey is a total crowd-pleaser. This roasted turkey tastes as good as it looks. It’s rubbed with olive oil, sprinkled with a mixture of coarse salt and pepper, and stuffed with bay leaves, lemons, garlic, thyme, rosemary and sage. The gorgeous mahogany colour comes from a glaze of lemon-infused apricot jam. The meat is flavourful and moist. And, it all cooks in less than three hours.

I made Martha Stewart’s Roasted Squash with Shallots, Grapes, and Sage for the first time. These stuffed acorn squash halves make a dramatic presentation at the table. With a filling of caramelized red grapes, shallots, barley, they’re also substantial.