Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s largely non-denominational and celebrates the harvest.

I like that. So does Amy. She even feathered her hair 1978-Farrah-style for the occasion.

We also clean the house and have leftovers for a week. I make a great turkey stock.

Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend, and I’ve hosted meals from Thurs to the Monday holiday over the years. We decided to bring our tradition to Australia, where the biggest challenge wasn’t explaining what Thanksgiving was, but sourcing and then biking home with a 21-pound turkey in my knapsack.

It also cost four times what a Canadian bird would have cost.

This particular bird came from New South Wales, and has some unique instructions on the label.

Washing the bird has long been disregarded because of the food safety risk of cross-contamination; do not wash that bird, you’ll spread bacteria everywhere.

And who puts foil in a microwave? I have no idea how a 600W microwave could cook a 21-pound turkey at home. But the key is, however you do it, use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer to verify safety.

Thanks to all our new Australian friends who made this our best Thanksgiving yet.