Chicken, Christmas & Thanksgiving, Dinner ideas

Oven Roaster Turkey Recipe

This Oven Roaster Turkey Recipe is juicy and crispy all at the same time. Seasoned with just the right spices, it is sure to become a family favorite during your Christmas, Thanksgiving family dinner.

Serving this Turkey up for the holidays? Then you may want to add some other holiday favorites to the table such as my Homemade Cranberry sauce or my Tourtiere Pie

Making this oven roaster turkey recipe for a group? Then your going to want to serve it alongside some mashed potatoes. And I have just the right recipe for you with my Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe!

Want anther tasty turkey recipe? Try my Baked Turkey Wings sometime as well.

I have included an easy homemade gravy recipes as well that utilizes the drippings from the bird right here. So whether your cooking for a large crowd or just a few you will be pleased with this recipe.

IS ROASTED TURKEY HEALTHY

Yes, it is packed full of nutrients and is considered a lean protein.

Here in Canada we have our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays pretty far apart. So we tend to have Turkey twice per year.

I have made a few Turkey’s myself over the years and also have watched family and friends prepare it, so you can rest assured this recipe is a Winner!

By following some basic tips you too will achieve a super moist and crispy turkey this holiday season guaranteed.

How to make Oven Roaster Turkey Recipe

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.
Place 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan to prevent burning and aid in creating the gravy.
Bast the turkey every hour to ensure it stays moist.
Cover the legs 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.

Note: If you notice the bird getting to BROWN during the last hour, you can put some aluminum foil around it. Or just cover the wings to prevent burning.

CAN ROASTED TURKEY BREAST BE FROZEN

Yes, as long as the Turkey was fresh not frozen in the first place. You can freeze any leftovers or make another recipe the very next day.

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!

Personally I do not make my stuffing in the turkey, and I encourage you not to either. Even though I was raised to do so, I find my turkey comes out much better cooked without it in the bird.

My stuffing recipe is listed below, if you too choose to do the stuffing outside the bird. Otherwise you can do the same thing and just stuff the bird, keeping in mind you may need to cook it longer.

HOW LONG WILL ROASTED TURKEY KEEP IN THE FRIDGE

Ruffly 2 to 3 days once it has been cooked. Be sure to seal it in a container of sorts so that it does not dry out!

Looking for another way to make a Turkey?

Spiced Turkey

Looking for an awesome Dressing recipe? Try my Sweet and Savory Stuffing

More Christmas & Thanksgiving recipes you may like:

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!

Christmas & Thanksgiving, Dinner ideas

Best Tourtiere Recipe

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This Best Tourtiere Recipe also know as Tourtiere de Maman is a Canadian meat pie that is spiced. And is the perfect recipe to accompany your holiday festivities.

Looking for another festive dish? Then your gonna want to try my Baked Holiday Ham dish or my Beef Mushroom Wellington or even my Recette Sheppard’s Pie.

Gather your friends and family to enjoy a stress-free comfort meal, with my French Canadian Tourtière

WHERE DID TOURTIERE ORIGINATE

Tourtiere originated from Quebec from as early as 1600.

And is traditional served during the Christmas holidays.

IS TOURTIERE FRENCH

Yes, French Canadian.

WHEN IS TOURTIERE EATEN

Nothing beats this pie on the table on Christmas day, well next to some mashed potatoes and gravy of course. Or my popular Shredded Brussel Sprouts recipe!

Tourtiere spices

1 tbsp Savory
1 tsp Ground cloves
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Sage
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Celery Salt
1 tsp Season with salt and pepper

Note: not everyone likes Cinnamon in there meat pies, so to each there own.

How To Make Canadian Tourtière

Start with a pyrex baking dish that is 9.5 x 1.6 deep.
Then make the butter crust (see recipe card)
And the pie filling
Stuff the Tourtière and bake at 375 f for 45 minutes till golden brown.

CAN TOURTIERE BE FROZEN

Yes, as long as the meat that was used was fresh not frozen to begin with.

So how do I know how to make a traditional Tourtière you may be asking?

Well, I am Canadian, but not Acadian. And have strong French roots on one side of my family.

What is Acadian you may be asking? Acadian peoples originate from eastern Canada.

They actually are the ones who created this recipe to begin with. Then the French out there ran with it and it is now known as a French Canadian or Acadian dish.

This particular recipe for my best Tourtière Pie has been past down from my Great Grandma who was 100% French Canadian. And her ancestors are all from Newfoundland and Labrador territories.

I have been gifted with her original recipe which was hand written by her a few decades ago.

And, so I had to share it all with you here.

Growing up Canadian, I was influenced by many cultural groups and thus foods so it wasn’t like I stuck to just one type of food then or now.

However I’ve appreciated all that was taught to me along the way.

One fond memory I do have is that of my great grandma and grandma both in the kitchen together making Tourtière right before Christmas.

I must have been somewhere from 5-10 years old then. And I never knew how precious that memory would be for me as my great grandmother past shortly after.

I also remember enjoying this dish during Christmas dinner over the years as my aunts always carried the tradition of making it.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES A TOURTIERE MEAT PIE SERVE

One pie typically serves 8-10.

Over the years this recipe has been changed across the generations and each family does prepare it somewhat differently. In eastern Canada, most people there use pork or even rabbit in this pie.

Oh and be sure to serve this CANADIAN TOURTIÈRE with a dollop of Ketchup. The kids will love that addition too.

PS: don’t skip on the potatoes they really help to hold the pie together. I hope you give it a try this holidays season and let me know what you think.

Could you serve a traditional French Canadian meat pie this Christmas? Could your family like it more than the more traditional Turkey? I would love to know.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

WHICH WINE WITH TOURTIERE

Whites, sparkling or reds all go with them a tourtière pie.

Note: You can freeze this ahead of time, and bring it to any gathering to bake fresh.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH TOURTIERE

Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

Beef and Mushroom Wellington

Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

CRANBERRY STUFFING RECIPE!

Be sure to try these tasty recipes below!

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Soups & Stews

Easy Turkey Noodle Soup

This Easy Turkey Noodle Soup is an excellent recipe to have on hand after the holidays, as it utilize your leftover turkey’s carcass and even the gravy if you so desire.

This Easy Turkey Noodle Soup is a great recipe to make, that utilizes the whole bird.

You can put almost any type of vegetable into this soup.

I used carrots and kale as it was what I had on hand. But really any type of vegetable will work!

EASY TURKEY NOODLES SOUP WITH CARCASS

So you probably know how good homemade chicken noodle soup is, but have you tried homemade turkey noodle soup? Well then you are in for something special. Because it is rich as it uses the whole carcus of the turkey!

If you have leftover gravy as well then you are going to want to add that in this soup too, trust me people will be begging for this recipe. It’s that good 🙂

I will typically make a BIG pot of turkey noodle soup the day after the holidays or the night of.

This way I am not wasting any food by utilizing the leftover turkey and gravy.

What I will do is fill a stock pot up with water and then I will put the carcass from my leftover Turkey inside.

Then all there is to do is simply boil the bird for a good 30 minutes or more.

Then I will remove the bird and skim away anything that looks less appealing and use the remaining broth as my soup stock.

Now there are plenty of ways to make this kind of soup, so I’m going to give you a few options here and let you decide what works best for you.

Really you cannot go wrong with making this soup, it’s healthy and also an excellent recipe to keep on hand after the holidays when you have leftover turkey.

When I talk options, I mean you can decide what type of noodle to place in the soup and vegetables.

For the noodles there are thick or thin, large and small, options.

So the type you use totally depends on what you prefer, however I do recommend using “egg noodles” because they are much lighter and work so much better in this kind of soup.

If you are feeling under the weather, feel free to add more garlic and onions to the stock as they carry antibacterial properties and have been proven to help people get better much faster.

I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Note: If you have a leftover turkey, then you can omit the chicken stock and simmer your turkey carcass for one hour in 8 cups of water, covered.

And use the turkey stock in replace if the chicken stock. Also use the leftover white turkey breast instead of buying turkey breasts as that works great too for this soup.

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 every Month!

Date Night, Dinner ideas, Pasta, Quick and easy recipes

Easy Italian Sausage Gnocchi recipe

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This easy creamy one pan Italian Sausage Gnocchi recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients that produce big flavors. Plus it is ready in 30 minutes which makes for a win win dinner that the whole family will enjoy!

The Gnocchi is simmered in a light cream sauce that is made of chicken stock, parmesan cheese, sour cream and Dijon mustard.

Along with fresh sage and few Italian spices that sure enhances all those ingredients very well.

Looking for more tasty recipes that utilize gnocchi? Try my Gnocchi soup or my Vegetarian Gnocchi

Isn’t this dish very similar to Tuscan style dishes?

Yes, it is. Tuscan dishes use simple ingredients that are not covered in any heavy sauces.

So even though this dish is creamy, it does not use cream or butter and is rather light.

Also you can take this dish from mild to hot simply by choosing a hotter sausage.

We are simply substituting that heavy cream for a more healthy olive oil and chicken stock.

So hold onto your hats for this one ladies and gents, because this dish is far more healthier than most of those Tuscan recipes out there.

Can I replace the Sausage for Chicken?

YES, you can use a chicken breast in replace of the sausage.

To make this dish all you will need is one large cooking pot/pan.

Start by cooking the gnocchi by boiling it in the pot/pan.

Once that is done you can prepare the remaining ingredients.

From there everything will come together in the same pot/pan in under 15 minutes!

This recipe can be served as a romantic dinner for two or double the recipe and then you can serve a family of four or more.

Delizioso!

Looking for a Tuscan inspired recipe? Try my “Tuscan Salmon” it is Delicious as well.

Other Gnocchi recipes that you’re sure to love!

Will you give this recipe a go?

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Appetizers & Sides, Christmas & Thanksgiving

Sweet and Savory Stuffing

This Sweet and Savory Stuffing is one of my favorites, it can be made outside the bird or inside. Made with rye bread, onions, celery, dried cranberries and a ton of savory spices. You are sure to love it just as much as we do.

This recipe can go hand in hand with making a turkey. So if your making on today, then this recipe can be made alongside very easily.

I like to add a Turkey neck on top of my stuffing, I find it gives it a little extra flavor. Then you can serve it to whoever likes that part of the bird, or you an add it to your homemade turkey stock.

Might as well untalize the whole bird right?

However depending on how you prefer to prepare your stuffing it it will turn out amazing! As you may know, I like to make my “Stuffings” which are really “Dressings” outside the bird.