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I am back in Canada!

This autumn I returned to Latin America and loved it. I was taken back to everything I missed and surprisingly made me appreciate my time in Asia.

I arrived last night at 3am, made it to an airport hotel so that today I could renew my passport in Halifax without a dreaded express fee.

While I have 7 years left on my 10 year visa, I am out of pages!

Dropping $160 on a new passport isn't exactly how I wanted to kick off the holidays but I am thankful that I have been able to see so much of the world in the last year.

I am ready to jump into holiday mode.

We make the same recipes every year that my grandmother made and while she's passed on the food tradition means she's still with us.

These recipes continue to be the most popular on my site and I always get rave reviews.

​Cherry Balls ​

Also called cherry surprises, I get most of the traffic from Canadians who grew up eating them at Christmas. No bake and great to freeze.

I admit I can never wait for them to fully thaw and usually eat them half frozen.

​Nova Scotia Turkey Dressing​

A simple recipe with bread, potato, butter, onion and lots of summer savory.

If I didn't make this recipe my family would revolt.

​Shrimp Dip​

This is a retro dip recipe with 5 ingredients: shrimp, tomato soup, cream cheese, onion, celery.

It sounds odd but everyone loves it.

​Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder​

My grandmother's recipe, we used to eat this once a week growing up, usually on Fridays.

​Nova Scotia Fish Cakes​

You can't go wrong with this traditional recipe.

BONUS: Recipes Nanny Would Frown Upon But are Delicious

​Instant Pot Turkey​

I have tried every turkey method: brining, spatchcock, butter under the skin, high heat, low heat but NONE guarantee a moist turkey like the Instant Pot.

It takes 45 minutes to cook an 8 lb turkey and has changed Christmas day for me as I can focus on the other dishes.

​Christmas Leftovers Pizza​

A great way to use leftovers that everyone loves. You can make dough, buy dough or even a pre-made shell.

​Christmas Muffins​

These are great to have on hand in the freezer because you never know when company will come over.

​Elena Ruz Sandwich​

A classic Cuban sandwich with an interesting story that uses turkey and cranberry sauce.

​PEI Potato Mussel Chowder​

This is a chef recipe that is VERY DECADENT so I think it's perfect for the holidays.

The amount of butter and cream is not a mistake. It's delicious and on the thicker side for a chowder.

Between Christmas and New Years I take time offline-ish. I tend to post on the Facebook page here because I love hearing about everyone's family traditions.

Stay safe and if you celebrate the holidays I hope you have a good one.

Ayngelina