Learn 20 new recipes with me

One of the things I put on my 35 before 35 list is to cook 20 new to me recipes so I could have more options available. So below you will find a list of the ones I have cooked during the time. For recipes that I have created myself or received from family or seen on tv, I will share the written recipe while ones that I found on other websites I will link them. This post will be updated through out with hopes to complete it by June 2028. 

Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta by Little Sunny Kitchen
I have made something similar to this years ago but I used alfredo sauce so still calling this a new to me recipe. We had leftover shrimp from our Christmas Eve dinner so my mom found this recipe to use it up. I decided to make it again during my cooking day on New Year's Day 2026 because it was so good. We changed what is listed in the linked recipe a little bit by using paprika and adding 1/4 cup of Tidal Bay white wine. 

Note: In step 5, it says to add reserved pasta water. I did this (with 1.5 cups really) and it made the dish super saucy because I didn't know you should add it after you put the shrimp and pasta in the pan. My suggestion is add a little bit to loosen it up after the cheese melts then add more as needed after tossing the pasta and shrimp. 

Chicken Salad Sandwiches by me
There are quite a few recipes out there for chicken salad and I took parts of a couple of them to make this but below is a recipe for the sandwiches I made. This should make 4 sandwiches. 

Ingredients 
chicken salad
    - 2 quarter rotisserie chickens, chopped
    - 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
    - 1 tbsp dijon mustard
    - 2 tsp paprika 
    - salt & pepper to taste

sandwich
    - 8 slices white bread (or any kind you like)
    - mayonnaise
    - 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Cut up the rotisserie chicken and put into a mixing bowl. 
2. Add mayo, dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper to bowl and mix well with the chicken. 
3. Shred the cheddar cheese
4. Toast each slice of bread then on one side of each sandwich, put a swipe of mayo (I find this makes it not so dry).
5. Top four slices with the chicken salad then add cheese before putting the other slices of bread on top of each one. 
6. Put each sandwich in a bag to take for lunches. 

35 Goals before 35th Birthday

I'm not sure many people do a 35 goals before they turn 35 but I'm going to since I didn't do a whole lot on my 30 before 30 list. It has been difficult with COVID and not having a job most of the time during the last 5 years. Anyways, I did finally think about what I want to accomplish before my 35th birthday and have created the list below.

Flowers in Halifax Public Gardens
Taken during a photography class

A lot of these were on my 30 before 30 post (on which I only completed three goals), but I did take a few things off that list for this one as I decided they weren't goals anymore. Ones marked with an * can be found on my previous list. Some of these goals will be done at the same time as others and a few are also on my Life Bucket List so will be nice to check them off. 

Feel free to use this list as inspiration for your own list. An age list isn't just for people who are younger than 30, you can make a 50 things to do before 50, 12 things to do in your 65th year, etc. Follow along on my blog as I complete these goals or follow me on Instagram or TikTok (@adventuresofansgirl) for updates. 

(I started this list in January 2021 so everything completed has been done since then; 3 were done before my 30th while I have done three more between that milestone birthday and today Sep 2025.)

Without further ado: 

1. See the icebergs in St. John's
2. Read seven new books*
3. Do the polar bear plunge*
4. Go on a road trip outside of NS for a weekend*   (✔ Jul 2022)  
5. Buy a new to me vehicle
6. Watch the sunrise and sunset in one day*
7. Journal more regularly*
8. Take a photography class*  (✔ Jul 2025) 
9. Learn how to cook 20 new recipes*
10. Have a European spring or summer trip
11. Start a retirement fund*
12. Ride in a limousine*
13. Pay for a strangers meal at a real restaurant*
14. Donate at least $150 to a good cause*
15. Attend a concert or music festival*     (✔ Aug 2024)
16. Get into ice skating again*
17. Be financially independent*
18. Walk my fastest 5K*  - current is 58 minutes
19. Finish watching a hockey game in each of the Original 6 cities*
20. Travel to a new country solo*     (✔ Nov 2022)
21. Sleep under the stars*
22. Cook and host a dinner party*
23. Explore the Western part of Canada in a RV
24. Invest in a really good camera
25. Play boardgames I used to love as a child*
26. Achieve my ideal weight and maintain it*
27. Do a digital detox for 24 hours*
28. Book a family photo session*
29. Grow my adventures blog*
30. Organize and hang pictures
31. See the blue waters of Lake Louise
32. Take a trip with my sister
33. Visit my family in other provinces
34. Walk across a suspension bridge     (✔ Aug 2023)
35. Finally, plan a great 35th birthday party* 

One note about #19 - the Original Six cities are Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York. I have been to Toronto three times already for a hockey game and have already seen one in New York so I am saying finish. If I can get to see the Rangers again before I'm 35, I will. Visited the Bruins, Red Wings and Blackhawks in November 2022 so just have the Bell Centre.