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My niece used this for our Thanksgiving turkey. It came out of the oven with the most beautiful color skin I've seen and deliciously crispy.

Note from Maggie: I bet this would be wonderful on chicken, too!

BLT PASTA TOSS
(A novel approach to the classic sandwich!)
Serves 3 to 4

~Sent in by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada

½ package orecchiette or penne pasta
3 to 4 slices bacon or 5 slices prosciutto
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 cups cooked leftover turkey strips
1/3 cup dry white wine
Generous pinches sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
10-ounce bag baby spinach
½ cup shredded mozzarella or Asiago cheese (optional)

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, from 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, slice bacon into bite-size pieces or, if using prosciutto, slice into long strips. Coarsely chop unpeeled tomatoes. Peel garlic, then slice into slivers. Slice turkey into thin bite-size strips and set aside separately.

In a large wide saucepan set over medium-high heat, add bacon and stir often until it starts crisp, from 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes along with their juice and seeds, wine, sugar, salt and pepper and dried basil if using.

Stir, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, from 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in turkey. Stir in prosciutto, if using instead of bacon.

When pasta is cooked, drain well. Immediately add to turkey mixture in pan. Toss over medium heat until pasta is evenly coated. Sprinkle with fresh basil, if using, and spinach. Toss just until spinach starts to wilt, from 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately sprinkled with cheese, if you wish.

Nutrients per serving: 33.1 g protein, 18.2 g fat, 55.3 g carbohydrates, 5.8 mg iron, 140 mg calcium, 396 mg sodium, 0.1 g fiber, 525 calories.

AVOCADO SHRIMP

~Sent in by Jessica, Corfu, Greece

Avocado
Shrimp
Mayonnaise
Cocktail or chili sauce
Sweet paprika

Cut an avocado in half and remove pit. Thaw or cook shrimp. Drain shrimp well and put in avocado halves and arrange the rest around the avocados. Place a dollop of mayo on the plate. Place a splash of cocktail sauce on top of mayo. Sprinkle everything lightly with paprika.

MAPLE-GLAZED CARDAMOM TWISTS

~Sent in by: Maggie, TX

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten to blend
About 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup butter, softened and cut into chunks*
6 to 8 cups vegetable oil for frying
Maple glaze (see recipe below)

Instructions:
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer or another large bowl, stir yeast into 1/4 cup warm (110°) water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in sugar, milk, and eggs (or beat in with paddle attachment); stir or beat in 2 3/4 cups flour, salt, and cardamom (dough will be soft and sticky). Stir or beat in butter, a few chunks at a time, until well incorporated. If using a mixer: Continue to beat at medium-low speed until dough pulls from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes; add up to 1/4 cup more flour if necessary. Scrape dough down if it crawls up beater or sides of bowl. Remove beater and scrape clean. Scrape dough onto a well-floured board and knead briefly to bring together. If mixing by hand: Scrape dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and velvety, about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

2. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place until dough has doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Scrape dough onto lightly floured board and press gently to expel air. Divide into 24 equal pieces. With floured hands, divide each piece in half. Form each half into a rope about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Twist the two ropes together, pinching ends together. Place twists about 1 inch apart on a floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, fill an electric deep-fryer to the fill line or pour about 4 inches of oil into a 5 to 6-quart pan and heat to 375 degrees. With a wide spatula, gently slide two twists into oil, one at a time. Cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes total. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat to fry remaining twists.

5. When cool enough to handle, dip top half of warm twists in maple glaze. Place on a plate or rack and let stand until glaze is set, about 2 minutes.

Maple Glaze
In a bowl, mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup real maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth.

Makes 24 twists.

*Soften butter in the microwave or at warm room temperature until very soft but not melted. You can make the dough the day before you fry the twists; cover and chill.

Nutritional Information
Per twist: 173 cal., 40% (70 cal.) from fat; 2.4 g protein; 7.8 g fat (2.1 g sat.); 23 g carbo (0.5 g fiber); 132 mg sodium; 25 mg chol.

Source: Sunset Magazine

COFFEE BREEZE

~Sent in by Ann, FL

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules or espresso powder
1/2 cup boiling water
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar or to taste
1 cup non-fat vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua (optional)
12 ice cubes

Dissolve the coffee granules in the boiling water and pour into the blender. Add sugar, ice cream or frozen yogurt, milk, evaporated milk, liqueur (if desired), and ice cubes.

Using the ice-breaker button, whirl for 5 to 10 seconds or until the ice is coarsely crushed. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if you like.

Serve immediately.

Store any leftover beverage in the freezer and reblend as necessary.

Makes 4 to 6 8-ounce servings.

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For Two...

HOT SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE SALAD

~Sent in by Treva, NC

This delicious hot salad is easily made into a main course by adding crumbled, cooked Italian sausage.

Scaled to yield 2 servings.
Original recipe makes 4 servings.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes

1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 (10 ounce) package spinach - rinsed, stemmed, and dried
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 (8 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).