• 1 lb rainbow pasta
• 1 lb ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese + more to sprinkle on serving
• freshly ground black pepper

Boil the pasta al dente. Drain, saving about 1 cup of the liquid; add the ricotta, ½ cup of parmesan cheese and stir to blend. Use the reserved water to adjust the moisture. Serve topped with desired amount of parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

😋Submitted by L

• 1 sheet of frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
• ¼ cup raspberry preserves
• ½ circle of Brie or Camembert
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Place the thawed sheet of Puff Pastry on a parchment-covered baking tray. Spread the pastry with the jam; put the Brie or Camembert on the pastry in the center of the pastry, flat side along the diagonal. Fold the pastry in half on the diagonal over the cheese, tucking the pastry around the cheese. Make slits in the pastry from the cheese going outward and twist them. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake @350° for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Place on a serving tray and serve by pulling away a twist and digging out a bit of the Brie.

Bon Appétit!

Submitted by L 🧑🏻‍🍳

Your diners will think you deep-fried this chicken because it bakes up nice and crispy, yet remains moist! This is one of my easiest go-to methods for preparing chicken.

Oven-Baked Chicken

• 10 chicken thighs
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• garlic powder, oregano, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper- all to taste

Preheat oven to 375°. Cover a baking tray with foil. Set the chicken on the foil and distribute the crumbs evenly over the pieces; sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper-all to taste. Bake for 2 hours. The secret is actually to OVERBAKE the chicken, making the crumbs brown and the meat tender and moist.

Submitted by L 🐓

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
• 1 cup carrot slices
• Olive oil
• 6 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon rubbed sage
• ¾ cup uncooked white rice
• 1½-2 cups cooked turkey, cubed

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is translucent; add the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots; stir to mix with the other ingredients; add the broth, salt, pepper, and sage. Cook for 20 minutes; add the rice and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the vegetables are tender. (At this point remove enough servings for any vegetarians. 👩🏻‍🌾) Add the cooked turkey and simmer about 5 minutes to heat through.

Serve with crackers or crusty bread, sandwiches or salad.🥪🥗🥖

Tonight, our preferred accompaniment will be grilled cheese sandwiches!

Submitted by L 🥣

Say what???! Black Bean Brownies? How is this even a thing? If you need a dessert for someone who shuns carbs, either for health or dietary reasons, this will meet that requirement. It is diabetic-safe, since the sugar measurement is quite small. The brownies are moist and tasty so that everyone will be satisfied.

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 (14-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Place beans, ¼ cup of the chips, and the oil in a food processor and process until blended. Add eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder, and salt; process until smooth. Transfer to an 8″ parchment-lined pan. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of the chips. Bake @350° for 20 minutes. Do not overbake.

Submitted by L 🥣

Two tickets to paradise, or three ingredients to dessert, either way smiles are in order. The step that takes the longest is letting the egg reach room temperature! Like the Black Bean Brownies, this recipe is also diabetic-friendly.

• 1 large egg white
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Let the egg white sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Beat on medium speed to form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat on high to form stiff peaks. Fold in the coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-covered cookie tray. Bake @325° for 18-20 minutes until firm and lightly browned. Cool for one minute before removing from the tray. Makes about 12 cookies.

Submitted by L ☕️

Ricotta-Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 1 large acorn squash
• 2 scoops of Ricotta cheese, (about ½ cup each)
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence, divided
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ of a medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, mined
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• ¾ cups cooked chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, season each half with salt and pepper and a light sprinkle of Herbes de Provence. Put a scoop of Ricotta cheese in each squash. Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil. Drain the spinach and add to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and the remainder of the Herbes de Provence, stir the mixture, and then add the crumbs, blend together to moisten the crumbs. Divide the crumb mixture between the two squash halves, tamping it down. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Place the squash halves in a casserole, add about ¼” water to the casserole, cover with foil. Bake @350° for about 1 hour, or until the squash is fork tender. Cut in wedges to serve.

My daughter voted this dish her favorite of 2019, so far!

Submitted by L 👩🏻‍🍳

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be helpful to offer some creative ideas for the turkey and the sides that will inevitably find their way into refrigerators across our great nation.

The ubiquitous turkey sandwich is, hands down, the king of Thanksgiving leftovers. Let’s be honest, some folks don’t even wait until the next day, grabbing a roll, and piling some leftover stuffing, a few slices of turkey, mayo, and cranberry sauce, and then, jamming their grills during halftime of that last football game. (The slice of pumpkin pie chaser is absolutely optional. Apparently, turkeys are not the only things that get stuffed on this holiday.)

The first four randomly selected recipes are from my files are followed by a list not accompanied by actual recipes, but that are pretty familiar or that can be searched online.

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

• 8 large soft rolls
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ½ cup turkey gravy, warmed
• 8 slices cooked turkey
• 8 slices of cheese (cheddar, provolone, or Swiss are great choices)
• ¼ cup cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 400°

Open rolls and place the bottom halves on baking sheet – spread mayonnaise on each. Pour gravy on top of each and top with the turkey and cheese.  Bake @400 for 10 minutes to melt cheese.  Top evenly with the mesclun greens and a spoonful of the cranberry sauce. Spread gravy on the top halves of the rolls and press the sandwich pieces together.

Pot-au-Feu à la Dinde – a simple version of turkey & vegetable stew

• Olive oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, thickly sliced
• ½ cup chopped carrot
• ½ cup chopped leak
• ½ peeled and chopped rutabaga
• ½ cup peeled and chopped turnips
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked turkey, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil in a ban over medium heat.  Add carrot, leak, rutabaga, turnips and garlic; sauté 5 minutes.  Add wine and cook reduced about half – about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, broth, turkey, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Best served with some warm bread. “Miam-Miam” — French for “Yum-yum”!

Turkey-Ditalini Soup

• Olive oil
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7-8 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 3 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add water, salt and pepper and broth; bring to a full, rolling boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until pasta is partially done.  Stir in turkey and chard, cook 5 minutes or until chard is tender-crisp and the pasta is done.

White Bean and Turkey Chili

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 clove minced garlic
• 1 cup carrot slices
• ¼ thyme
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 cans white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini or Navy
• 3 cups turkey or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and gently sauté the onion until translucent, add the garlic and sauté lightly – 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except the turkey, cover and simmer about ½ hour. Add the turkey and cook another 15 minutes to heat through. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Below is a list of other possibilities for leftovers from a Thanksgiving feast for you to enjoy.

• Turkey Soup (use the carcass as the base)
• Turkey Pot Pie
• Turkey Salad (chopped meat with mayo, celery, craisins, salt and pepper)
• Turkey Crêpes
• Turkey Lasagna
• Turkey Panini
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Turkey Casserole
• Turkey Spring Rolls
• Turkey Curry over Rice
• Turkey Crostini
• Turkey Frittata
• (I’m starting to feel like Forrest Gump’s friend Benjamin Buford Blue, aka “Bubba” citing all the ways he prepared shrimp. I think you get the general idea!)

Submitted by L 🍽

This recipe is vegetarian, but can certainly be enhanced by the addition of ground beef or chunks of beef or ham. I prepared it for a group of “foodies” during a soup demonstration a few years ago at Dailys in East Aurora, New York. Each participant received a take-away: a packet of the dry ingredients needed to make the soup at home. Today seemed like a good day for some hearty soup for dinner, so I’ll share this with you.

• ¾ cup of each: pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, split peas
• 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups water or broth of choice
• spices to taste: black pepper, sea salt, paprika, dry mustard, bay leaf, dehydrated onion flakes, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried rosemary

Rinse the dried bean mixture and place in a large pot. Cover by 1″ water and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the bean mixture. Return to pot, add spices and the tomatoes and 6 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer on low for about 2 hours or until the bean are very tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve with crusty bread.

Submitted by L 🥣

Some people consider meatloaf comfort food, especially when served with mashed potatoes. Seeing the temperature dip below freezing, made me think my meat lovers would like something that would stick to their ribs. (The vegetarian has an “impossible burger” topped with some barbecue sauce in lieu of the meat.)

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
• salt and pepper – to taste
• ½ cup chopped cooked spinach
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons ketchup

Mix all ingredients together, form into a loaf, and place in baking pan. Top with 2 tablespoons of ketchup.Bake @350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour -or until meat thermometer tests done. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable side of your choice.

Submitted by L