Easy Holiday Menus

Everyone looks forward to sitting down to holiday dinner with family and friends. Here are three unique menus that all feature seasonal flavours and ingredients for a familiar taste of the holidays. We’ve included lots of tips and preparation ideas too, so each meal is easier to prepare than you think.

Traditional Menu: A Classic Christmas

Hearken back to yuletides past with a perfectly prepared turkey and all the memorable trimmings and sides.

Appetizer

Baked Brie with Spiced Nuts & Apricot Jam is an elegant start to the meal and so simple to prepare. Serve with crackers and sliced apple.

Main

Ultimate Roast Turkey uses a classic herb-butter rub to succulently flavour the bird. To carve picture-perfect turkey slices, remove the drumsticks and legs before carving the breast.

Sides

Sausage, Chestnut & Onion Dressing is a traditional stuffing that bakes in its own dish for just 20 minutes in a 350°F (180°C) oven. As soon as the turkey is done and out of the oven, put the dressing in to bake.
Classic Scalloped Potatoes are infused with fresh thyme and fragrant garlic. For added flavour variety, substitute sweet potatoes for half of the yellow potatoes.
Our 7-ingredient Sautéed Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon puts savoury greens on the table.
Tossed in honey and fennel, Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto bring a burst of colour to the table.

Dessert

Try our Apple Pie Cookies – a dessert that combines two classic sweets. Topped with apple pie filling and finished with a mini lattice crust, these cookies are pretty and delicious.

Retro Menu: Serve up Nostalgia

Traditional flavours and herbs help make this nostalgic spread a perfect one for the holidays.

Appetizer

Compliments Shrimp Ring with Cocktail Sauce is a simply delicious retro-style appetizer.

Main

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney & Butternut Squash is a succulent blend of seasonal flavours and yummy textures. A narrow serving tray works best with pork medallions placed along the centre of the dish and flanked by the butternut squash.

Sides

Mushroom Stuffing with Bacon & Pine Nuts combines artisan-style bread with sliced mushrooms, bacon and other satisfying ingredients. For a moister stuffing, add extra chicken stock or butter before baking.
Sensations Salad kit with Compliments is a convenient side dish – all you have to do is toss it together. If you have the time, make Easy Caesar Dressing from scratch and add it to washed and chopped romaine lettuce; top with Compliments Caesar Croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Dessert

Upside-Down Pineapple Squares put a new spin on a retro dessert, combining fruit, caramel and cake.
No-Bake Vanilla Rum Balls feature rum-soaked wafer cookies. Replace the vanilla wafers with equal parts chocolate wafers for a chocolate version.

Seafood Menu: Fish-Lovers’ Dinner

Start a new family tradition with a festive menu inspired by the sea.

Appetizer

An herbed goat cheese–infused appetizer, Mixed Mushroom & Goat Cheese Tarts, pairs perfectly with the main course.

Main

Sweet Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon is the star of this holiday menu. It is topped with a subtly seasoned sour cream, dill and horseradish sauce.

Sides

Roasted Vegetables Parmigiano is a scrumptious, slightly caramelized casserole of cruciferous greens. The dish can be prepared earlier in the day, and served later at room temperature.
Warm from the oven, golden brown Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls are soft and fragrant. To save time, substitute with a Compliments Whole Wheat Baguette warmed in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for three to five minutes. For a modern twist, serve rolls or bread with herb butter: add a clove of crushed garlic and one tablespoon of chopped fresh dill to warm butter.
Depending on the number of dinner guests, a grain-based Asparagus, Tomato & Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad will round out this menu.