I forgot to buy a turkey until the week before Christmas, and the only ones left were massive, or really, really small. This big bird was 11.38kg (25.09lbs)! I had a momentary panic Christmas morning when I suddenly wondered if it would fit in my roaster. Luckily, it did. I'll have to buy some of those foil roasters to keep on hand "just in case" for future years!

This year's turkey was the best turkey I have ever cooked. I think several factors came into play, but I believe the number one reason it was so perfect was the fact that it was completely thawed before it went into the oven. The last few years my turkeys have been frozen in the middle, so the outside gets overcooked while the inside is still not at the right temperature. It has been disappointing, to say the least. But not this year!

• First, thaw the turkey. Pick your best method. Note: it takes days.
  
• Next, pull the bird out of the fridge and allow it to sit in room temperature while your oven is preheating to 350*F (177*C).
  
• Mix up a spice blend. I used the same spices for both my stuffing and my bird: 1/2 tbsp ground sage, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp thyme for each thing- both stuffing and turkey had this amount of seasoning.
  
• Put your turkey into the roaster. I have a little base thing to lift the turkey off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't stick. If you don't have that, I recommend some onions, carrots, and celery to sit under your bird.
• Spread a tbsp of fat on your bird. I used vegetable oil, but butter is pretty popular too.
• Spoon the spice blend over your bird. I actually just used my spoon to spread it around, but if you want to get your fingers into it you'd probably get better coverage.
• I covered my turkey with foil. I know many places say not to, but it worked well for me.
• Check out this link here with cooking times. Mine was bigger than the chart, so I estimated 6 hours, and checked it at 5 hours. I used an instant thermometer to determine that the breast was done and the thigh was not, so I put it back into the oven for another 45 minutes, covered again with foil. I did pull it out of the oven to allow it to "rest" before cutting into it.

This turkey was way too big and awkward to pull out of the pan to slice when it was cooked, so we just sliced it in the pan. I wish I had taken a picture of this beautiful turkey before cutting into it, though! You can see how brown it got even though it was covered. We got 3 crockpot's worth of bones for stock, 2 large freezer bags of meat- one white, one dark, ample drippings for gravy, and some we didn't use for gravy as well that we can use like stock.

I have a client whose children don't care for sweet peppers, so I thought I'd give this a whirl. It turned out really great, and my first child found only one piece just a bit too spicy to finish.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 c. finely sliced zucchini (I used my ceramic slicer from Epicure)
1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 sprigs fresh basil (or dried, about a tsp)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c. chicken broth
1-2 tbsp coffee cream (I use half and half)

Prepare everything before starting to cook.

Set your olive oil, onions, garlic, and chicken in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Allow to cook until the chicken is slightly cooked, then add the spices and zucchini. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini starts to soften and separate from the other pieces.
Stir in the cornstarch and chicken broth, and increase heat. When boiling and thickened, allow to simmer on low until the chicken is completely cooked through, only another few minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the cream. Serve with rice. I served ours with brown basmati. Unfortunately, there are no leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

1-500g. package of extra lean ground turkey
3/4 c. quick oats
1 egg
1 medium/large carrot
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp dried onions
2 minced garlic cloves

Finely grate carrot into bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. Shape into meatballs, or to use cookie cutter, place cookie cutter on desired baking sheet and stuff with meat mixture. Remove cookie cutter, and repeat. These bites left almost no grease behind on the baking sheet. I would suggest using parchment paper.

Bake at 350* for about 30-35 minutes, or until internal temperature is at least 165*F.

Served with brown rice, stir fried vegetables, fresh beet greens, naval oranges, and hoisin sauce.

The lemon and ginger are bright flavours that bring out the berry sweetness perfectly but taste delicious on their own. 

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp lemon zest (wash that lemon first!)
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cornstarch
Shake of ground nutmeg
1/2 c. chicken broth
lemon slices, about 1/2 lemon.

Combine chicken, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 tbsp ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp turmeric in a lidded container. Stir well, and allow to marinate, refrigerated, for at least 1 hr.

​Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the onions, chicken mixture and lemon slices. Cook, stirring from time to time, until evenly browned. Mix 1/2 tbsp ginger, 1/2 tsp turmeric, cornstarch, and chicken broth. Add to skillet and increase the heat until it comes to a simmer and starts to thicken. Continue simmering until the chicken is completely cooked.  Remove lemon slices if desired, serve over brown rice. Shown with Saskatoon drizzle.

Recipe Developed and Tested by The Meals Maven ​© 2016

I found this recipe today and adjusted it according to what we had on hand in our cupboard. It smelled terrific cooking and came together really quickly. I had to add a tbsp of cornstarch (listed below) to thicken it a bit. Next time I make it- and I'm pretty sure there will be a next time- I might omit the potatoes and serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. Tonight we ate it with toast and slightly aging snap peas. Très bien!

700 g. chopped chicken breast (bite-sized chunks)- about 5 small
1/2 c sliced onions
5 sliced garlic cloves
1 c. sliced potatoes
2 tbsp Indian curry powder
1 400mL can of coconut milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cornstarch

Melt the butter in the saucepan, and add the onions. Stir until coated with butter, then allow to cook until softened and browned. Add potatoes and garlic, and cook just until potatoes are browning. Add chicken, stir in olive oil, and stir in curry powder. Mix well, then add coconut milk.Cook until potatoes and chicken are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

I spent the day out in our yard, cleaning out under the deck and pulling out handfuls of quack grass and removing broken toys and leftover deck material, a disgraceful mess I've been procrastinating every summer for years. After all that work I wanted to eat something quick, hot, tasty, and easy. This is the go-to meal. No stirring or babysitting required.

4 stalks of celery
4 carrots
3 sweet bell peppers
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp Epicure Selections Greek Seasoning
1 tbsp dried onions
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
feta cheese, to taste
salad greens, to taste

Slice all the vegetables into strips, then pop them into the Actifry. Drizzle with 1/2 the olive oil and sprinkle with half the Greek seasoning. Set the timer for 20 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt, Greek seasoning, and dried onions. Add it to the actifry when the timer goes off, and set for another 20 minutes.

To serve, stuff pitas with mixed salad greens, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and a large spoonful of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Enjoy!

Verdict: Husband said "Yummy. Tastes like more". First son said "Yum yum! Tastes great". Second son liked the pita, but not the chicken or vegetables. (Sigh.) I really enjoyed it. There were no leftovers.

I originally found this chicken recipe on The Wanderlust Kitchen. I made it as written the first time, then tweaked it for our taste buds. We loved it. We served it with fries made in our Actifry and a fresh vege tray.

10 chicken thighs
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6-7 rosemary sprigs (I just used the whole package)
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
3/4 red onion, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Blend the paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the spice all over the topside of each piece of chicken, then the bottom. Using a non-stick frying pan, brown both sides of the chicken.
While chicken is browning, lay down the rosemary, garlic, and onions in a foil-lined 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the heat to 375*F and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Check the internal temperature- it should be 165*F. When fully cooked, remove from pan to paper towel to drain.

Verdict: First son said "really, really good and tasty". Second son said "how many bites do I have to eat?". Husband commented that it was pretty "rosemaried" but honestly, the chicken really isn't that strongly flavoured. The onions are though! He's not a fan of rosemary so I almost never use it. This recipe is worth it though!

We bought a 3 pack of chickens from Costco yesterday, and today I roasted them all at the same time. Once I strip all the meat off the bones I'll cook stock with them, and use the leftover meat as starters for more meals this month. It took me some time to perfect this roasting business, but this is what I do. 

3 whole chickens
1 lemon, cut into 3 large chunks
1 onion, cut into 3 large chunks
6 whole garlic cloves
1/4 tsp water
sea salt and pepper
Baby potatoes, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 375*F.
Remove the string holding the chickens together. Take 1 piece of lemon and onion, and 2 garlic cloves, and put into each chicken. Spread them out in the roasting pan so they are mostly separated from each other. Add the water, sprinkle the potatoes around the chickens, and salt/pepper each chicken.

Put the chickens in the oven, set the timer for about 2 hours, and walk away. They'll brown beautifully and will be moist and flavourful for dinner. This was served with my Spanakopita tarts and a Greek salad.

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 large breasts)
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne
⅛ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray (I use the pump bottle from Pampered Chef with Canola oil)

Pour the ¼ cup of olive oil into a large ziplock bag. Add in the marinade spices, then seal the bag and shake to combine.

Cut the chicken breasts into large bite-sized pieces, then add to the marinade. Seal the bag and use your hands to work the marinade into the chicken. Make sure every piece is well-coated. 

Marinade at least 6 hrs. or overnight. Practice food safety- marinade in the refrigerator!

Preheat oven to 400*F, then line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Arrange the chicken pieces evenly on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over, then bake for another 6-8 minutes.

Serve warm with Tabbouleh and pita bread.


I found this recipe on The Wanderlust Kitchen. Finding bulghur at our local stores was impossible for me so to make the tabbouleh I had to resort to a boxed variety. While I was disappointed  that I couldn't make it from fresh, it still really added to the meal. And I found a source for bulghur for next time.

Verdict: First son said "It's really good mom!" Second son said "No more!". Husband asked for seconds, then ate the rest for breakfast the next day.
So there you go. We'll be making this again. But maybe with more chicken, so I can have leftovers too!