Since 1957, we’ve been setting aside the second Monday in October as a national day of appreciation, although we have honored an annual Thanksgiving Day much further back into the 1800s.

For many of us, the 3-day weekend will be enjoyed with family and friends around a table loaded down with roasted turkey and all the fixin’s.

For others, this is a last chance for one last mini-vacation before the winter freezes us in.

You can spot us watching the usual football games and outside admiring the fall foliage.

Thanksgiving Day may only come once a year, but here in Canada the timing and weather are usually perfect.

A Canadian Thanksgiving

Here are some tips that you can use while cooking the turkey to ensure that you are able to create an enjoyable dinner.

First, wash the turkey and remove any insides that may be present in the turkey. In most cases, these are present within a bag that can be easily removed. Next, rinse the inside of the turkey under the tap and prepare the stuffing that will be placed inside of the turkey. Stuff the turkey full of the stuffing mix and prepare the seasoning that is going to be placed on the turkey.

Once you have prepared the seasoning mix, smooth the seasoning mix over the exterior of the turkey. Components like butter and oil that can be combined with this seasoning mix will easily ensure that you are able to coat the entire turkey evenly. Use water or stock within the roasting pot to create a moist turkey – about an inch or so at all times.

Determine how long the turkey is going to be cooked, use the weight of the turkey and the average cooking time of 25 minutes per pound, slow cooking the turkey at 325 degrees. Baste the turkey every thirty minutes to ensure that the turkey remains moist.

Canadian Thanksgiving, How To Cook A Turkey

First thaw your turkey in the refrigerator, not on the counter. When it’s time to bake your turkey, take the wrappings off, take out the packing that holds the liver, heart ect. Also remove the neck, rinse your turkey, inside and out, pat dry, put in roasting pan.

Slather butter on your turkey, or brush with oil and poultry seasoning.

You can also put herbs and butter under the skin, loosen gently and use your hand to spread. Cook your stuffing separately, it’s safer that way.

Cover turkey loosely with foil, take foil off last 45 minutes to let skin brown. Put turkey into a 350 degree oven, turkey is done when meat thermometer reads 180, put thermometer in thickest part of the thigh, avoid hitting the bone.

Juices should run clear when turkey is done.

Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving so all the juice does not run out.

Now eat more turkey than you can handle.

Undo belt and let your belly out.

How To Prepare A Turkey

Cyber Monday is just around the corner and the online stores are already rolling out their biggest deals of the year. If Black Friday is the largest shopping day of the year, Cyber monday can’t be too far off with great ads.

The question is, do these deals apply to you, as the singular consumer? The most commonly advertised item during the Cyber Monday ads 2009 season is a television, game system, or a video system to work with the television. However, these are not the only items that businesses are slashing prices on! Games of any sort: board games, puzzle games, video games; all of these have been reduced in price within a certain selection.

Businesses from smaller clothing boutiques like Forever 21 to much larger, well known outlets like Macy’s and J.C. Pennys are lowering their prices on select items for the costumer this holiday season. Looking on Amazon will provide insight into some truly great deals on anything from DVDs to magazines!

With the lowered prices, crowds can get wild but not to worry; major retailers have now placed increased security around the stores to insure that nothing inappropriate happens.

Did you do all your Christmas shopping on Black Friday? Or are you holding off maybe until Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday ads 2009

So you’ve just finished off that giant turkey, and the Black Friday ads have already got you thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving day is over.

That’s where Black Friday comes in. Ever since Roosevelt switched the dates to the 3rd Thursday in November in the 40s (and switched back again 3 years later), Black Friday (and its ads) has been the epitome of mad-dash bargain-hunting for the savings-savvy and casual shopper alike.

This year there’s not only a plethora of bargains to be had, but also a variety of opening times. Given the unfortunate incidents at some stores last year, more department stores and big-box stores are opening up earlier this year, and with pre-doorbuster sales to spread out crowds. Of note this year is Toys R Us, with Black Friday ads advertising midnight openings, and Sears, which opens at 4am. There are still the usual deals to be had, with Best Buy offering a 15″ Gateway laptop for just $199 (most small netbooks sell for at least $300, let alone laptops).

So whatever time you do make it to the shops, maybe it’s a good thing you had that giant meal after all – good fuel for holiday shopping!

Americans Gearing Up For Black Friday Sales 2009

With retailers competing in this sluggish economy, the Black Friday ads are in abundance this year. Retailers are trying hard to lure shoppers into their doors and to get consumers to leave their holiday dollars in the store. Retailers are unlocking the doors early and hoping for a positive response to their Black Friday advertisements. Retailers are anticipating that early bird specials will entice shoppers to start their shopping in the predawn hours.

Retailers are offering huge discounts on a variety of items in their Black Friday ads. Walmart has everything from $5.00 Barbie dolls to $198.00 laptops. Kmart has stick MP3 players for $9.99. Target is selling a 32” Westinghouse LCD HDTV for only $246.00. The list of deals goes on and on. It is not just electronics and toys that is being drastically reduced. A shopper can find discounts on kitchen appliances, dishes, linens, clothing, shoes, outerwear, tools, etc. No matter what is on your list this year, you are sure to find it in a Black Friday ad somewhere.

Shoppers that are hoping to take advantage of these deals will need to check the ads and be willing to start shopping early on Friday morning.

Black Friday Ads 2009: Stores Offering Amazing Deals

Make sure your bird is completely thawed before cooking. Thawing should be done while refrigerated, never on the counter top. Cook your turkey at a temperature of 325 degrees- anything less will not kill the bacteria. It is not necessary to preheat the oven. Use a wire rack and roasting pan, placing the turkey breast side up, and tucking in the wing tips. Pour approximately a half cup of water into the roasting pan. This helps keep the bottom of the turkey moist.

Cover the turkey will a loose tent of aluminum foil for the first hour and a half of cooking time, and then remove. This will ensure that your bird does not brown on the outside before it’s done on the inside. For a very moist and delicious turkey, baste with melted butter every half hour. In a 325 degree oven, cooking time should be 1 hour for every 2 pounds of weight.

The most important factor is the internal temperature. Insert a food thermostat all the way into the thigh, and look for a reading of 165 degrees. The turkey is done and ready to eat when it has reached that magic number. Enjoy!

Still need to pick up the turkey?

Butterball has a Printable 2009 Coupon.

The coupon reads: “Save $2.00 on one (1) Butterball® Whole Turkey (Fresh or Frozen). Save on Butterball® Turkey, and connect with other Thanksgiving cooks on the Butterball® Facebook Page. Offer good 11/13/09 through 12/31/2009″

The coupon can be found by visiting the offical Butterball website.

http://www.butterball.com/promotion/butterball-200-coupon-09

If you have any questions about your butterball turkey, you can always call the helpline.

According to reports, on Thanksgiving Day alone, the Helpline (aka the Turkey Talk Line) reported gets 10,000 calls fielded by 55 experts.

The Phone Number for both Americans and Canadians is: 1-800-BUTTERBALL. They also have a live chat on the website.

How To Cook A Turkey, Butterball helpline Info

According to car pricing researchers Truecar.com, black Friday is the best day to buy a car in the US (no data was available for Canada).

“The discounts from dealerships, as well as manufacturers’ incentives, generate the highest discounts of the year on Black Friday,” said Jesse Toprak, an analyst for Truecar.com.

The average new car discount on Nov. 27 is estimated to be 7.5 percent. The average discount the day before and after is expected to be just over 6 percent. Normally car buyers pay 4.7 percent less than the sticker price, CNNMoney.com reports.

TrueCar says one reason for the huge discount is that it’s quiet on the lot since most people are out gift shopping, and the other is that dealers are trying to meet end-of-the-month sales quotas.

TrueCar’s monthly report on prices and deals says the “most negotiable” new cars now are the 2009 Audi Q5 and 2010 BMW 1-series.

Will you be heading out to buy a new car?

Black Friday Best Day To Buy New Car: Report

Even in a slumping economy, Black Friday is still one of the biggest, traditional shopping days out of the entire year. People wait for weeks to find out the best deals in stores, and some even sleep outside of the store the night before the opening of the doors.

And walking through those magical store doors isn’t the only way to get a deal either.

Stores are going online for Black Friday too. So if you don’t feel like waking up at four a.m. to catch a great deal, then it would be wise to just sit in the comfort of your own home, and buy what you want online. Some may start the sales as early as Thanksgiving, though keep in mind that last year they didn’t start to post the great deals until Friday afternoon.

Walmart and Target are always hot spots for finding the best deals of Black Friday, but just be aware that the crowd outside of these stores is tremendous, so it would be best to get there early.

All of the name brand stores always have pretty good sales going on, so if you wanna find the best deals this year, go to a store that you’re familiar with.

The new Window’s 7 is hitting stores soon too, so make sure to check out the electronic stores this year.

Here are a list of some of the better deals:

Wal-Mart

Sanyo 50-inch plasma 720p HDTV for $598
Magnavox Blu-ray player for $78
Tom Tom GPS for $59
select children’s clothing for as low as $3
$7 reversible fleece jacket for kids and adults, and the Barbie
Power Wheels Ride-On, a toy Jeep, for $88.
32-inch Emerson LCD 720p HDTV for $248
42-inch Emerson Plasma 720p HDTV for $448
eMachine laptop with a 15.6-inch LCD display, 2GB memory and 160GB
hard drive for $198
Hewlett-Packard laptop with a 15.6-inch display, 3GB memory and
250GB hard drive for $298
Philips 4GB MP3/video player for $29
Xbox 360 console with three games for $199
8GB iPod Touch for $195 with a $50 iTunes gift card
$4 home appliances including a slow cooker and mini-mixer
$2 DVDs
select toys priced between $5 and $9
26-inch Vizio 720p LCD HDTV for $248
EZ Bake Oven for $16

From Best Buy:

Acer 20″ Widescreen HD LCD Monitor – $79.99
Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements – $74.99
Alpine 50-Watt x 4-Channel Car Stereo – $99.99
Apple 6GB iPod Touch (3rd Generation) w/ Free $30 Gift Card – $199.99
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Generation Nano – $149.99
Apple MacBook 13.3″ Laptop w/ 2GB, 250GB, Free $150 GC – $999.99
Assorted Blu-ray Movies (X-Men, Smallville, Fast & Furious, More) – $9.99
Assorted PC Games (WoW, Farcry 2, Slots, Bioshock, More) – $4.99
Assorted Wii Games – $9.99
Blu-ray Movies (Departed, I Am Legend, Star Trek, More) – $7.99
Blu-ray Movies (Gladiator, Braveheart, Matrix, Wanted, More) – $12.99
Bose In-Ear Headphones – $89.99
Bose Sounddock Series II Digital Music System – $269.99
Braun Rechargeable Cordless Electric Shaver – $18.99
Canon EOS Rebel Tli D-SLR Camera – $699.99
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS (Gray or Teal) – $149.99
Canon Vixia High-Definition HD20 Video Camera – $499.99
Compaq Intel Atom Netbook w/ WinXP, 160GB HD, 1GB RAM – $179.99
Dell 10.1″ Netbook w, Best Buy Exclusive Design – $379.99
Dell 20″ Widescreen HD LCD Monitor – $99.99
Dlo Jam Jacket for iPhone 3G/3GS – $9.99
Dlo Power Pack for iPod/iPhone – $19.99

Sears

Boxed Candle Set – $9.99
Buy 1 Get 1 Free All Pillows from Cannon, Sealy & More – BOGO
Cannon 240TC Sheet Sets (Any Size) – $19.99
Cannon 3-in-1 Softie Wrap – $24.99
Cannon Down and Down Alternate Comforters (Twin) – $49.99
Cannon Flannel Sheet Sets (Any Size) – $19.99
Cannon Perfect Snuggler Blanket – $17.99
Canyon River Blues Jeans for the Family – $9.99
Canyon River Blues Misses & Petites Jeans – $9.99
Carter’s Seasonal Layette Sleepwear and Playwear – 60% off
Cashmere Mixed Pine 7.5′ Prelit Christmas Tree – $129.99
Century 50-lb MMA Kit w/ Bag, Gloves & Wraps – $49.99
Christmas Porch Greeter – $14.99
Cobra Radar Detector – $29.99
Coby 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99
Cold Weather Accessories for Her – 50% off
Colormate 220TC Complete Bed Sets (Any Size) – $39.99
Colormate Anti-Pill Fleece Throw Blankets – $4.99
Colormate Basics 200TC Sheets (Twin) – $7.99
Colormate Basics Bath Towels – $2.99
Colormate Bath Towels – $4.49
Colormate Microfiber Sheet Sets (Any Size) – $9.99
Colormate Mix ‘n’ Match Comforter (Twin) – $15.99
Colormate Quilt Sets (Any Size) – $29.99
Complete 11-Piece Pliers Set – $9.99
Complete 78-Piece Screwdriver Set – $9.99
Conair Women’s and Men’s Massage Slipper – $9.99
Country Living 6-Piece 800TC All-Cotton Sheet Sets (Any Size) – $49.99
Covington Flannel Gowns – $12.99
Covington Flannel Pajamas for Her – $12.99
Covington Fleece Pajama Set for Her – $12.99
Covington Leather Handbags – $29.99

Black Friday Sales For 2009: The Best Deals Around

One of the greatest moments of ecstasy to bargain-hungry consumers is Black Friday, held the day after Thanksgiving in late November.

Shops are open and the holiday season (which is about 50% of sales) and reserve more aggressive discounts for that day. Americans rush to buy the morning after turkey dinner, practicing one of the national sports, the queues. Thus, they manage to be ahead of the doors when the stores open their doors, often twelve o’clock at night.

This year the early bird purchasers may purchase toasters and coffee makers for three dollars, DVD players to $19, LCD monitors for $89, mini oven grill for $9 or Barbies for six dollars, among other items.

Most exclusive products, like televisions can also be found at prices more moderate than the rest of the year (250 dollars).

here is a great list of some of the best black Friday deals  from CNN and blackfriday

1. Westinghouse 32″ LCD HDTV at Target

* Retail price: $429.99
* Sale price: $246

2. Razor Folding Aluminum Folding Scooter at Target

* Retail price: $29.99
* Sale price: $17

3. Chefmate Slow Cooker at Target

* Retail price: N/A
* Sale price: $3
* Chefmate 12-cup Coffee makers, 2-Slice Sandwich Makers, and 2-Slice Toasters are also on sale for $3 each

4. TomTom One 125 Portable GPS at Walmart

* Retail price: $98
* Sale price: $59

5. Magnavox Blu-ray Disc Player at Walmart

* Retail price: $128
* Sale price: $78

6. Nikon Coolpix S60 10-Megapixel Camera at Best Buy

* Retail price: $299.99
* Sale price: $179.99

7. Insignia 10-Megapixel Digital Camera at Best Buy

* Retail price: $79.99
* Sale price: $49.99

8. Barbie Totally Hair Braid It Doll at Toys “R” Us

* Retail price: $19.99
* Sale price: $9.99

9. Webkinz & Lil’ Kinz Plush at Toys “R” Us

* Retail price: $17.99
* Sale price: $8.99

10. Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway at Toys “R” Us

* Retail price: $29.99
* Sale price: $19.99

11. George Foreman Lean Mean grill at Kohl’s

* Retail price: $39.99
* Sale price: $9.99

Black Friday Ads 2009: Top 10 Deals