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Christmas & Thanksgiving, Quick and easy recipes, Vegetarian

Parmesan Rosemary Brussel Sprouts

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These Parmesan Rosemary Brussel Sprouts are the perfect side dish to just about any holiday meal.

Made with just a few simple ingredients, such as olive oil, salt and pepper, minced garlic, rosemary and lemon juice. 

I just love Brussel Sprouts, but this wasn’t always so.
 
I actually hated them as a kid, along with broccoli, carrots and peas.
 
However today I love all of these veggies and that is because I have found the correct ways to prepare them.
 
 
There are many ways to prepare Brussel sprouts, you can bake them, fry them and even boil them.
 
My least favorite way, I must admit.
 
Baking them is truly the best, because something magical just happens to these veggies when you place them in the oven.
 
And trust me the kids will love them too!
 
 
Plus these delicious veggies are super healthy for you because there packed full of feel good fiber.
 
They take less less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish so really you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
 
First you will want to rinse then cut the ends off the brussels.
 
Then you will dice them in half and toss them in a bowl with olive oil and then bake in a preheated oven at 450 f for 15 minutes. 
 
 
Once the 15 minutes is up, season with salt and pepper.
 
Then add in the minced garlic, rosemary and parmesan cheese and return the dish to the oven to cook for the remaining 10 minutes.
 
That is it, then there ready to enjoy!
 
Oh wait you can also drizzle some fresh lemon juice overtop of them right before serving, this makes them taste extra delicious! 
 
 
Baked to a tender crisp, these brussels are something special. I’m confident you are going to love it too!
 

More Christmas & Thanksgiving recipes you may like:

See below for more inspiration!

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe i’d love to hear about it!Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!

 

 

Christmas & Thanksgiving, Dinner ideas

Best Turkey

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This is my Best Turkey recipe that produces a savory bird that is seasoned with all the right spices and comes out moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

A Turkey like this is always a hit during the holidays! 

Serve this main course along with my Best Bread Stuffing and you will be in business. 

This recipe makes for a family favorite recipe every year. And also serves well alongside my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes,  Stuffing and Homemade Cranberry Sauce and dinner will be divine! 

Also, I have included an easy homemade gravy recipes as well that utilizes the drippings from the bird.

You do not want to skip on this either! 

HOW LONG TO DEFROST TURKEY

If your like me and buy your Turkey frozen, you will want to keep in mind the size of your Turkey when looking for defrosting times.

  • Allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey.

Here in Canada we have our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays pretty far apart.

So we tend to have Turkey twice per year. Personally I’ve made just a few Turkey dinners for a crowd myself.

One being for my family one year and another for a boyfriend’s family. Y

Yes, this was before I was a blogger and I was nervous as hell to do it.

But being that I have watched family and friends prepare it often, I got some tips prior and it came out just as good as this recipe here.

So you can rest assured that this recipe is a Winner! 

Once you learn the basics to preparing and cooking a turkey you too will become well versed in the right techniques to cooking a whole turkey.

Turkey Roasting Pan

You will want to use a pan large enough to roast.

You can either use a throw away type metal pan that can be found at any dollar store or purchase a good quality one that will last you through the years. 

What herbs and spices go with Turkey

The most popular used spices for a Turkey is; thyme, rosemary and sage.

Some people use nutmeg, personally I do not like. 

Best Store-Bought Poultry Seasoning

When I want to make a turkey that’s sure to impress, I will use my favorite store bough poultry seasoning ” McCormick Poultry Seasoning”. You can also make yours from scratch at home instead. By replacing the 2 tbsp of poultry seasoning with 1 tbsp of kosher salt, 1 tbsp of pepper, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tsp sage.

Best Turkey Seasoning 

This is what I use for my  Best Turkey Recipe!

  • 2 tbsp of poultry seasoning, I like”McCormick Poultry Seasoning”.
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp salt

Pour the gravy all over the sliced breast for an incredible meal and even save as leftovers to make some other meals.

HOW COOK TURKEY IN THE OVEN

  1. You will want a Turkey Roasting pan
  2. Meat thermometer
  3. Basting tool 
  4. Tinfoil

IS IT BETTER TO COOKA  TURKEY BREAST SIDE UP OR DOWN

Cook the turkey breast side down as this allows the juices to fall down towards the breast producing a juicer turkey!

HOW COOK TURKEY IN OVEN

  1. Start by thawing your turkey in advance to preparing it, best to do this in the fridge 48 hours prior. Once thawed place on the shelf one hour prior to preparing.
  2. Rinse your Turkey under cold water for a few minutes and then remove the neck and other things in the cavity and cook on the side of the turkey. 
  3. Mix your seasonings well and rub the bird all over.
  4. Season inside the bird with all over and baste with melted butter. 
  5. Place bird “BREAST SIDE” down “produces a better cooked turkey) and bake at 400 for one hour.
  6. One the hour is up, turn down the oven to 350 baste the bird in it’s own juice and cook for one more hour.
  7. Before you remove the Turkey, probe it with a thermometer it should reach a temperature of 165-170 degrees. Be careful not to touch the bone, rather insert it right into the breast for an accurate reading.
  8. If it has reached the desired temperature, remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before carving otherwise you will have a dry Turkey.

WHERE TO COOK TURKEY IN OVEN

Middle rack is always the best practice!

My top tips to cooking the best Turkeys are as follows:

  • Allow the bird to fully defrost and then sit on the counter at least one hour prior to baking, this ensure that the skin doesn’t break and that the bird cooks properly thought out.
  • Butter the turkey all over with solid butter as well as liquid.
  • Use a food thermometer and remove the Turkey once it reaches it’s ideal temperature.
  • Place 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan to prevent burning and aid in creating the gravy. Nothing more you don’t want to boil the turkey.
  • Baste the turkey every hour to ensure it stays moist.
  • Cover the legs, breast and wings of the turkey with tinfoil and place the birds legs towards the back of the oven where it’s the hottest and where the bird needs most the cooking. “The breasts always cook the fastest.
  • Do not stuff the bird with stuffing, rather make the dressing on the side.
 

Now what is turkey without the stuffing?

It’s really not a complete holiday meal now is it, so that part is definitely something you do not want to forget!

You can stuff the turkey with the stuffing prior to cooking if desired.

However keep in mind that they turkey will then take another hour to cook fully. Or you can cook the stuffing on it’s own for one hour also. One of my favorite stuffing recipes is :

Otherwise you can do the same thing and just stuff the bird, keeping in mind you may need to cook it longer.

TURKEY GRAVY WITH THE DRIPPINGS

Oh and do not forget the gravy, I’ll show you below how to make the best homemade gravy from the same bird you are cooking here.

Utilizing every part of this amazing bird is key to a great Turkey dinner. 

I hope you give it a go, and have an enjoyable dinner with those who mean the most to you. 

Tips: I always save the bones to make a turkey soup the next day, it’s simple. Also I like to make my own Gravy from the drippings see my recipe below for a simple Homemade Turkey Gravy

Wondering what to do with all those turkey leftovers? Try my “Turkey Pot Pies” I will even show you how to make the most delicious “HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY” if you choose.

More Christmas & Thanksgiving recipes you may like:

See below for more inspiration!

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe i’d love to hear about it!  Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox

Christmas & Thanksgiving, Dinner ideas

Turkey Pot Pies with Puff Pastry

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These Turkey pot pies made with puff pastry and are my go to recipe whenever I have leftover turkey. 

These pot pies are absolutely delicious and a bit different then the average pot pie recipe you will find.

So read along if you want to learn how to make them! And trust me it is easy as pie 🙂

WHAT’S IN TURKEY POT PIES

  • DICED CARROTS
  • CORN
  • PEAS
  • GREEN BEANS
  • LEFTOVER CURRY
  • SPICES

ARE TURKEY POT PIES GOOD FOR YOU

Yes, they are packed with vegetables and lean protein (leftover turkey meat)

TURKEY POT PIES WITH PUFF PASTRY

  • You will want to start by making the pie crust. You can pre purchase the “puff pastry” which is that crust you see on the top of these pies” or you can make it from scratch yourself. I really encourage you to try making it from scratch as it tastes best. 
  • The crust recipe I have provided is also foolproof. I have tried many pastry puff recipes in the past and this one is the winner folks.
  • Then ONCE the pie crust has been made. Simply defrosted some frozen vegetables and add to the turkey mixture to make the filling.
  • These pot pies can be ready in under 45 minutes. As long as you pre-make the puff pastry one hour in advance you can have this on the table in under one hour. If you would prefer to make one big large pie, you can do that with this recipe as well.

HOW TO MAKE TURKEY POT PIES

  • The main difference with my recipe and all the others is that I like to use my leftover “Turkey Gravy” instead of heavy cream in my pies.
  • It does the same thing, keeps the pies moist yet adds that extra level of flavor.
  • You will want to start by making the pie crust recipe. Once the pie crust has been made you will roll it out on a clear kitchen counter that has been sprinkled with flour.
  • Place your bakeware over top and with a knife cut around the bakeware to create the pie crust as seen below.

  • Then you will prepare the filling and place that in the bakware before folding over the pie crust.
  • Brush the crust with butter and bake. 

Also, I like to use a frozen vegetable mix, that contains green beans, peas and carrots to fill the pies.

The more veggies the healthier right?

Plus all three go so well together and make these pies AMAZING!

So if you too are wondering what to do with all that leftover turkey, then look no further because this recipe is not only simple to make it’s absolutely delicious!

CAN TURKEY POT PIES BE FROZEN

Yes, as long as the turkey was not frozen to begin with.

Don’t want to make individual pies?

No problem, simple place the pie filling inside a large pie baking dish and make a large one with the same recipe.

Totally up to you 🙂

So instead of placing the ingredients into four smaller dishes place it into one large and cover with one crust. I hope you enjoy!

Notes: If you don’t have any leftover turkey gravy, feel free to use canned or cream in replace of.

Recipe Inspiration: Easy puff pastry recipe

See below for more inspiration!

Also check out my roundup of Thanksgiving & Christmas Recipes from around the World or my 10 delicious stuffing recipes! for more inspiration!

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this, I want to see! Follow Canadian Cooking Adventures Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @canadiancookingadventures and #canadiancookingadventures. 

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Desserts

Cherry Tiramisu

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This Super delicious and decadent Cherry Tiramisu is a cross between Black Forest Cake and Tiramisu! And is super simple to make, I kid you not!

It is said the origin of tiramisu goes back to the 1960s in the region of Veneto, Italy.  Tiramisu has several meanings such as “pick me up”, “cheer me up” or “lift me up”.

And is coffee-flavoured Italian dessert.

That is made with espresso or strong roast coffee and mascarpone cheese, and cocoa among a few other key ingredients.

My recipe here uses espresso, vanilla extract, mascarpone cheese, cocoa and whipped cream vs raw eggs.

Be ready to have your socks knocked off with this one 🙂

Just be sure to follow the directions I have listed below and you will be on your way to Tiramisu heaven! 

You may be thinking, can it really be made without the eggs?

Doesn’t traditional Tiramisu have raw eggs in it? And my answer to that is “Yes” and “No”.

Some traditional Tiramisu recipes that hail from Italy will ask you to put raw egg whites in the Tiramisu.

However not all Italians do that, just look at Laura Vitale recipe which this recipe was inspired by.

She is Italian and does not agree with putting raw eggs in her recipe either.

The reason some do that is one because it’s tradition and two it also creates a light and fluffiness to the cake.

With mine, we are substituting those raw eggs for fresh whipped cream which helps to maintain that light fluffy texture. And is much better if you ask me! 

See this whole sheet cake above? Between me Jason and my girlfriend had it polished off in two days.

It is that good guys!! The whole darn thing was gone in less than 48 hours 🙁 and I was so sad.

Also if you have kids in the house or don’t drink alcohol you can omit the rum.

You can make the Tiramisu more on the sweet side like most cakes or follow the traditional Tiramisu style that has more of a liquor espresso taste, which I must prefer.

Plus the cherries have enough sugar in them already so adding heapings of extra sugar is not necessary.

I used fresh sweet cherries for this filling and cooked them down with a little cornstarch and water.

You can use fresh or frozen cherries just make sure there the sweet ones otherwise you will want to add some sugar as well.

And if you want to skip the stovetop cooking method, by using a cherry pie filling instead. Just keep in mind most of those are filled with sugar so your Tiramisu will be allot sweeter than mine. If prepare it from scratch it tastes much better if you ask em.

Tiramisu has always tasted best the next day, so if you cannot wait the 24 hours. Allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 6 prior to serving.

Also feel free to replace the cherries with raspberries if you’d like, they go really well with the Tiramisu flavors as well.


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Chicken, Dinner ideas, Meal Prep, Quick and easy recipes, Salads

Chicken Pea Pasta Salad

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Looking for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner option? Then this Chicken Pea Pasta Salad is sure to do the trick.

This salad can be served warm or cold.

And makes for an excellent dinner or save it for the weeks meal preps.

Image making this on a Sunday, preparing for the Mon – Wed work week ahead all in one day. 

Talk about healthy and easy ready made meals!

Wanting to feed more people? Simply use my recipe adjuster above and it will calculate the serving size so that you can make as much as you need. 

Also, this simple pasta salad has it all and can feed a crowd easily.

Just simply throw it all together in one big bowl and it’s good to take anywhere!

I never really used to like pasta salads, mainly because I found them to be heavy and or covered with an unhealthy dressing.

But this salad is different, it is pretty healthy and you can really tweak it to your liking. 

I prefer to add equal amounts of pasta to chicken and peas.

However you can definitely add more pasta to stretch it if desired.

Also keep in mind that this type of salad can be refrigerating overnight.

Making it such a great recipe for any type of gathering that your going to attend or host.

Prepare this the night before and you can even have a weeks worth of meal preps ready to go for the work week ahead!

If your on a gluten free diet, simply switch out the pasta for a gluten free variety. 

EASY PEASY!

If you have been looking at other pea salads recipes and are still debating which one to go with.

I encourage you to really give this one a shot, it’s one of the most popular pasta salads on this site.

And is something my aunt makes for the family every summer.

Which always ends up being gone before the nights end!

If you’re still looking more simple pasta salad ideas? 

Simply use my search bar on the sites homepage and you will find other versatile pasta salad recipes.  

And you should not feel any guilt eating this one as it’s much lower in calories than most of those other recipes out there.

That is because we are not using any heavy dressings in here.

Also, feel free to add some different ingredients if desired.

Such as:

  • Cooked asparagus
  • Artichokes
  • Leftover spinach
  • Cucumbers
  • Chickpeas 
  • Shredded turkey etc

HOW TO MAKE A CHICKEN PASTA SALAD?

  • Simply saute the seasoned Chicken Breasts till cooked in a pan or cast iron skillet.
  • Cook the pasta till al dente, strain and set aside. 
  • Cooked the peas till hot, strain and set aside.
  • Then toss everything together in a large bowl along with the dressing!
  • Vulla, enjoy!

Your body will thank you for it eating such a healthy dish and you won’t even miss those high calorie dressings in those others, I promise. 

Or if you have a favorite low calorie dressing go ahead and use that in replace of mine.

But first off try mine, you may be surprised at how simple at tasty it is.

Tossed in a low fat lemon spiced garlic sauce this dressing is absolutely Dee-licious.

Plus this salad contains just 3 simple ingredients:

  1. Bowtie pasta
  2. Seasoned shredded chicken breasts
  3. Peas

Such an easy salad recipe that is perfect for anytime of the year. 

The only sad part is that it will most likely disappear before your eyes if you have others in the house.

It always does it mine, in fact it is me that tends to eat it all.

Sometimes I will add less pasta if I am the only one having it.

Then I will amp up the pea ratio to make it more filling. I encourage you to do what works for you, also if your on some kind of gluten free diet.

No a days they have gluten free bowtie pasta as well.

So the sky’s the limit here!

What can be easier than this salad? 

You will start by cooking the bow tie pasta till al dente then during that time you can season and cook the chicken breasts and peas.

Before shredding the chicken then throwing all together in a light dressing that is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.

I highly recommended using frozen or fresh peas for this recipe, canned just taste no good.

If your not really into peas you can replace them with frozen sweet corn.

Just make sure your pre cooking those peas or corn prior of course.

 

My favorite Chicken Rub = Szeged Chicken Rub

 

 

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this, I want to see! Follow Canadian Cooking Adventures Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @canadiancookingadventures and #canadiancookingadventures. 

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LOOKING FOR OTHER SUMMER SALAD RECIPES?

Christmas & Thanksgiving, Desserts

Homemade Fresh Cherry Pie

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I’m baking up a delicious cherry pie today with a buttery flaky crust. I like to use the Dr. Oetker pie crust because it gives me a perfect crust every time. All you need is cold butter and water along with a rolling pin and you will be in business. 

One of my favorite summer desserts is cherry pie, I guess its to do with the fact that cherries are in the height of the season now and go so good in a pie.

My Galette cherry pie is very similar to this recipe in many ways, however the crusts are just different. I do not recommend using frozen cherries for this recipe as they hold way to much water and then you will end up with a watery pie.

Now I don’t know about you, but I was never a fan of the store bought cherry pie. Once I started making my own pies at home, I knew right away what i have been missing all along.

This pie has just the right amount of butter crust, cherries, lemon juice, egg, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to make anyone’s mouth water. I hope you give it a try, because it’s something special to be able to say I made this myself, enjoy! 

It’s ready to go into the oven, cant hardly wait!! 

Note: You can serve this along with ice cream or whip cream.

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe id love to hear about it! You can post a review, picture below or via Instagram and let me know how it turned out. And by doing so you will be automatically entered into our seasonal CONTEST to win one of our great prizes. Winner will be notified via email within a week after the contest closes. Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!

 

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Salmon and Kale Pasta Salad

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This Salmon and Kale pasta salad ? can be thrown together in no time at all. 

With just a few simple ingredients such as rotini pasta, organic kale, canned salmon and green onions. You are sure to feel amazing after eating this.  

This salad is tossed in a simple healthy dressing that you can make in seconds. 

So if you looking for a healthy salad that can store easily in the fridge for a couple of days without wilting, you just found it!

Go ahead and make some meal preps if you want with this type of salad. 

Sometimes I will double the recipe and pack a few for the weeks ahead.

What can be easier than this salad?

The salmon is pre cooked, the kale is fresh and raw the only thing that takes a bit of time is cooking the pasta and during that time you can prepare the fresh greens.

This Salad goes well as a side dish or served as the main course.

I recommended looking for an bunch of organic kale for this recipe. 

I find it tastes best in raw type salads a good place to find organic kale this time of year is at your local farmers market.

This is my favorite way to use a can of salmon and it goes so well with raw kale.

This salad can be enjoyed pretty much any time of year, but I know it will be best enjoyed on those long summer nights out on the back patio! 

I can picture it now 🙂 Can’t you?

Looking for a Awesome drink recipe to serve with this salad? Try my “Raspberry sweet tea” that is made with agave nectar or honey.

 

 

Light Summer Salad that is sure to satisfy!

 


LOOKING FOR OTHER SUMMER SALAD RECIPES?

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, I appreciate every single one of you! If you made this recipe i’d love to hear how it turned out. Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!

Appetizers & Sides, Christmas & Thanksgiving, Quick and easy recipes, Salads, Vegetarian

Authentic Tabbouleh Bulgur Recipe

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This Authentic Tabbouleh Bulgur Recipe is something you will want to make time and time again. 

The secrets to a good Tabbouleh is using the most freshest of ingredients such as fresh parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, onions and the right type of bulgar.

This tasty salad goes well alongside any type of dish and has been a typical side dish that has been served in the middle east for centuries. 

Tabbouleh salad is something I have come to enjoy immensely over the years.

Actually I tried it for the first time at my local deli a few years back and liked it so much that returned to the market to find all the ingredients that night. 

It took me some time to master the perfect combination and techniques to making the most tastiest of tabbouleh, but I’m sure i’ve done it now.

This salad has an a array of flavors that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. And tastes much better than any store bought variety, believe me. 

You will want to start by using a “coarse Bulgur” variety, you can use  “fine coarse” Bulgur if you want, however I find the course works best because it gives more substance to the salad.  

Also, I recommend using both lemons and limes for this recipe, however traditionally lemons are just used. Be sure to chop up all your fresh ingredients finely and mix  well before serving.

I hope you enjoy this version for my favorite tabbouleh salad. 

What are some of your favorite summer time salads? 

Looking for more Summertime salads? Try these popular recipes below. 

I’m thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe i’d love to hear about it! You can post a review, picture below or via Instagram and by doing so you will be automatically entered into our seasonal CONTEST to win one of our great prizes. Winner will be notified via email within a week after the contest closes. Thank you and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox!