When my house is full of family over the Holidays, I always have some youngsters who either don’t care for meat or are a little finicky when it comes to eating.  I like to have a few “special” dishes on hand just for the little ones so they don’t feel left out of the festivities.  If I make one of these casseroles with tomatoes and one without, I always have a dish to serve our young guests.  Now, that will put smiles on all the faces around the table.

3 cups uncooked macaroni
1 large can diced, fire roasted or spiced tomatoes (may be omitted if desired)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a casserole dish.
Cook macaroni according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix diced tomatoes, herbs, and salt and pepper, set aside.
In separate bowl, mix together the cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  When macaroni is cooked, rinse, drain and pour into casserole dish.
Add cheeses to hot macaroni and blend until well melted.
Mix in tomatoes and herb mixture.
Sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

If your Holiday meals call for a special potato dish, one that’s a little fancier than just plain ol’ mashed potatoes, this is the dish you want.  It’s delicious, nutritious, and gloriously beautiful!  It’s also so simple that when your Mother-in-Law asks if there’s anything she can do to help, you can hand her this recipe without guilt! 

8 potatoes, peeled and boiled
1/4 cup milk
1 stick of butter
3/4 to 1 cup sour cream
1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
3 strips of bacon cooked crispy, crumbled
1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
Pepper and salt to taste
Optional: save a little onion and bacon for garnish.

Prepare potatoes; boil until tender to a fork. Mash potatoes as you normally would, either by hand or with a handheld mixer; add pepper, salt, butter, milk and sour cream. Mix until well blended and lumps just disappear. Add cheese, green onions and bacon. Mix until just blended. Cover and keep warm in oven. Garnish with a few pats of butter, a little green onion, and bacon crumbles if you wish.

This is one hors d’oeurvre that is a must-have at every Holiday meal. I don’t know why I wait for the Holidays to make these Mushroom Caps… they are fabulous anytime!

12 extra large mushroom caps, cleaned (or 24 to 36 small caps)
1/4 real butter, melted
6 ounces of crab cooked and flaked (I purchase prepared lump crab meat)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, lightly seasoned
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place mushroom caps on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with butter. Mix cleaned crab, mayonnaise, green onion, bread crumbs, cheese in a bowl. Fill each cap with the mixture. Bake until mushrooms are warm to the touch. Top off with more grated Parmesan and put under broiler for a moment if you wish so the cheese gets golden brown.  Serve hot.

I don’t think you can get enough Apple Crisp desserts!  My Mom and Grandma both had their specialties, so I decided to combine some of my favorite things about them both to come up with this decadent all-in-one version.

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into strips
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup cooking oats
1 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 jar caramel topping
1/4 cup shaved chocolate
ice cream of choice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer apples in pan and sprinkle with sugar. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and butter together. Cover apples. Top with caramel. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve with ice cream and shaved chocolate.

I can’t seem to get enough of the beautiful Acorn Squash I’ve been finding at our farmer’s market. Finding enough new ways to cook them is a challenge. I don’t want my family to get tired of my acorn squash, so I decided to mix it up a bit here with some apple and brown sugar. As you might guess, this acorn squash dish is a huge success!

1 beautiful acorn squash
2 to 3 nice and tart apples
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 pat of butter or margarine
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt (optional)

Slice the acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds and the strings. Wash squash thoroughly and pat dry.

Place the squash cut side down in a casserole pan filled with 1/2 inch of water or chicken broth.

Place the pan in a 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes.

While the squash is steaming, peel, slice and dice the apples and mix in the brown sugar.

Take the squash out of the oven, placing face up, and fill the cavities with the apple-brown sugar mixture.

Add a pat of butter or margarine to each half and top with a shake or two of nutmeg.

Cover very lightly with foil.

Bake the dish until the apples and squash are soft and cooked. This takes approximately another 1/2 hour.

Do you have even more turkey leftovers?  You’ve been doing your best to use it all up, but can’t eat another casserole or soup.  I understand.  This is a very simple but yummy treat that the whole family will rally round!  It makes enough to pack up and send along with your homeward-bound relatives, too!

1 Envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix (or equivalent)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb. cooked turkey, (use your leftovers) diced and fork-shredded
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (use what you’ve got)
3 pkgs. refrigerator crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In skillet, heat oil and add soup packet and turkey, mixing thoroughly until heated through.  Add cheese, stirring until melted and blended well with turkey mixture.  Turn heat to low and keep mixture warm.  Separate crescent dough according to package directions.  Cut each crescent in half so you have two triangles.  Place a spoonful of warm turkey mixture in the center of each piece.  Then fold over the edges carefully enclosing the turkey and pinch edges closed. Place on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Will make about 48 turnovers if you cut the rolls in half or leave the crescents whole for 24 turnovers. 

Sealing the crescent rolls around the turkey mixture is the most difficult part, but once you get a method, these go very quickly! 

When it comes to classics, I think Turkey or Chicken Divan must be at the top of the list.  Every new homemaker knows at least one Divan recipe. This is truly a use-it-up recipe, taking advantage of those heaps of turkey and veggies left over from your Thanksgiving feast.

4 cups coarsely chopped leftover fresh broccoli and/or cauliflower from Crudite tray
3 cups diced leftover turkey
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or any canned cream of soup you have)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. -more or less- curry powder (to taste)
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you have leftover)
1 small can French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the veggies until just crisp-tender and drain thoroughly.  Coat an 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Put cooked veggies in baking dish and arrange diced turkey over top.  In a bowl, mix together canned soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder and pour over all.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  Sprinkle onions over the top and bake another 5 minutes or so.

If you don’t have any leftover fresh veggies, 1 large bag of frozen broccoli would work as well.  Simply thaw before adding to baking dish.

How many ways can you use leftover turkey?  Hopefully, they are countless, because I over-bought again.  Every Thanksgiving I make a very large turkey, which is not too hard to use up, but I also buy way too many vegetables for my family to snack on.  This is a good way to solve both problems.

4  green peppers, top cut off, washed inside and out (save tops)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/4  cup onion, finely diced
4  leftover tops from the green peppers, finely diced
3  cups turkey, finely diced or fork-shredded leftovers
1  cup leftover stuffing
1/2  cup diced tomatoes (either canned or chopped leftovers)
Salt and Pepper to taste (optional)
1   cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
1/2  cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat deep dish 8 inch square casserole or loaf pan (something that will fit the peppers) with non-stick spray.  In skillet, heat oil and add onion and diced green pepper tops, cooking 2 or 3 minutes until onion is just transparent.  To skillet, add turkey, stuffing, and diced tomatoes.  Heat until hot and bubbly.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Carefully spoon hot turkey mixture into empty green pepper shells and place upright in casserole.  Top each green pepper with cheese, pressing down slightly into green pepper so it doesn’t fall off.  Pour chicken broth into bottom of casserole dish.  Cover dish with lid or foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until peppers are cooked.

Because this is a leftover dish, feel free to substitute at will!  Stuffed Peppers is always a good meal with which to experiment.

You might be able to surprise your family a little with this turkey leftover dish.  Meat pies are always just a bit fancy in our house, so I can get away with cooking up leftovers without even a single complaint!

1  double crust for 9″ pie
1  Tblsp. vegetable oil
1/4  cup onion, diced
2  Tblsp. flour
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 cups turkey, leftover cooked, diced
3/4 cup milk
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 10 oz. pkg frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
4 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In skillet, put oil and onion, cooking onion until transparent, about 2 - 3 minutes.  Stir in flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Add milk, softened cream cheese, and turkey, and cook, stirring often, until mix is smooth and bubbly.  Add beaten egg, cooking about 1 minute more.  Mix in broccoli.  Pour mixture into pie crust.  Top mixture with cheese.  Place top crust on, seal edges, and brush top with milk if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

I consider this pie suitable for company.  If you have some late Thanksgiving arrivals, this will impress without feeling like just another leftover. 

Are you staring at a refrigerator packed with goodies leftover from your fabulous Thanksgiving dinner?  Isn’t it great!  Well, yes, but… how are we going to eat all this food?  I like a casserole where you can use up a variety of leftovers.  This one-dish meal really fits the bill.

6 cups leftover stuffing, or use cubed bread
4 cups leftover turkey, diced
1 small onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 small green pepper, diced small
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and black pepper to taste (if using leftover stuffing, be careful)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided in half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  Place 3 cups of stuffing evenly over bottom, but do not pack down.  In a bowl, combine the turkey, onion, celery, green pepper, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper thoroughly.  Spoon mixture over stuffing in baking dish.  Top with the remaining stuffing.  Gently beat together the eggs and milk and pour over the top of mixture in baking dish.  Cover with foil and chill for at least 1 hour.  When ready to bake, in bowl mix the can of soup together with 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and spoon over top of dish.  Bake covered for 1 hour.  Uncover and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top and bake for 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

If you’ve got some leftover broccoli, cauliflower, corn, or beans, you may even want to add a layer of those veggies to this dish.  It truly is a use-it-up dish, because basically anything goes.