More than a day off work, Canada Day is the birthday party of the year! A celebration of a proud nation that's best shared with family and friends over good food and fun activities. Make the most of your red & white party this year with the help of Smucker's®. We polled Canadians to create "Canada's Favourite Ice Cream Sundae". It's the perfect addition to any Canada Day celebration and a great way to beat the heat!
Once a year, we trot out our maple leaf flags and flashy red-and-white banners and celebrate our Canadian-ness. We gather in backyards and parks and beaches and celebrate the day together. We drag out all the old culinary clichés – the red and white sundae, the butter tarts, the poutine and the Canadian bacon. Nothing wrong with that at all, eh!
Now, although there are many variations in the way we Canadians celebrate Canada Day, one thing is absolutely essential: food. If at all possible, it should be eaten outdoors. And remember – no Canada Day Party is complete without a Canada Day Sundae. A classic way to show your red and white pride.
So throw a bright red cloth over the picnic table, stock up on sunscreen and bug spray and invite your friends over for an all-Canadian Canada Day celebration.
Nine Essentials For An All-Canadian Canada Day Celebration
- Smucker's® Canada Day Banana Split Milkshakes.
Raise a glass to Canada with whimsical red & white milkshakes. Strawberry syrup decorates the glasses with stripes.
- The maple leaf.
Decorate your picnic table with real or cutout paper maple leaves. Use a maple-leaf stencil to create custom-designed t-shirts for everyone in your family. Plant a maple tree in your backyard! It's a tree worth celebrating.
- Smucker's® Canada Day Ice Cream Cake.
Swirling sponge cake, ice cream and strawberry syrup will have your guests wondering how you pulled off this masterpiece.
- A canoe
When not being used for its original purpose – water transportation – a canoe is the best beverage cooler ever invented. Fill it with ice, throw in your cans and bottles and you're good for hours. Add a paddle for a realistic touch.
- Smucker's® Canada Day Strawberry Trifle.
Juicy fresh Canadian strawberries are showcased in this yummy summer trifle. A great way to serve dessert to a crowd.
- A bonfire.
What can possibly be more Canadian than chopping up a pile of wood and building a bonfire? Sit around the fire, toast marshmallows, tell stories and sing silly songs. Listen to the sounds in the dark and imagine what this country must have been like before cities and highways.
- Poutine.
Well, really, it's just a classic. Start with your own homemade French fries or use frozen ones. Top with squeaky cheese curds and delicious homemade (or not) gravy. Voilà! C'est parfait!
- Maple syrup.
Of course. Add it to the marinade for your grilled salmon bake up a batch of maple butter tarts.
- Canadian bacon.
Or back bacon. Or peameal bacon. Whatever you call it – it's very definitely our own. Lean and delicious, grilled slices of Canadian bacon make, quite simply, the single most perfect sandwich north of the 49th parallel.