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When buying hamburger, look for extra lean hamburger. This type has much less fat than regular hamburger. You can also substitute ground turkey for hamburger. Turkey has a slightly different taste, but it is good and generally costs less than hamburger. Ground turkey is generally very low in fat.

For chicken, white meat contains less fat than dark meat. Try to buy boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. These contain relatively little fat. Turkey can be substituted for chicken. Boneless turkey breast is cheaper than chicken breast, and it is a little lower in fat (although chicken breast is low in fat also).

Trim as much fat as possible from pork before you cook it. Turkey ham can be substituted for real ham. Turkey ham, of course, is really turkey. It really does taste like ham, though, and can be used wherever a recipe calls for ham. Some people can't tell the difference between the two. Turkey ham has very little fat compared to regular ham.

If you've never tried turkey bacon, you're missing out! Regular bacon is made entirely of fat, with no nutritional value whatsoever. Turkey bacon is not a pork product, it is made from turkey meat. Turkey bacon contains little fat (it is usually about 97 percent fat free). It still doesn't have a lot of nutritional value, but it is relatively low in fat and will give you a little protein. It tastes considerably different from regular bacon, but it is very good!

Tuna can be purchased packed in oil or water. Tuna packed in water contains almost no fat. Tuna packed in oil contains considerably more fat.

Lowfat cream of mushroom and chicken soups are now available at your grocery store. Check the labels to see which one is lowest in total fat grams per serving.

For the recipes that require milk, skim milk can be used without sacrificing flavor.

For recipes call for cheddar cheese, there are low-fat and non-fat varieties of cheddar cheese. The lowfat variety work well in these types of recipes. The nonfat cheeses usually do not melt very well and aren't great for cooking.

Lowfat or nonfat sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mayonnaise can be used without sacrificing any flavor.

Butter can be eliminated from some recipes. When browning onions, hamburger, etc., you can spray your skillet with nonstick spray or use chicken or beef broth instead of butter to cook with. When baking, you can use reduced-calorie margarine instead of butter, but the texture will not always come out right. You've got to experiment a little. Nonfat margarines currently on the market do not bake well at all. Just remember...with baked goods, it's not always the calorie content per cookie or piece of cake, it's how many you eat! Remembering that has helped me maintain my weight better than any reduced calorie diet.

*About the Author:
Pam is the publisher of the online home cooking magazine and cookbook, Cooking with The Country Sunshine. She is a full time farm wife, webmaster, and an editor for the Open Directory Project's Personal Recipe Collections site, The Country Sunshine - http://www.thecountrysunshine.com

Discussion Forum

A to Z Recipes Family Reunion Plans

My family is planning a road trip in late June and I'd love to meet some of you along the way. We will be driving to Florida (from the Houston, Texas area). We had wanted to take this trip last year and could not afford to (not that we can now, lol). Unfortunately, the person my children most wanted to see for the first time in their lives, their paternal grandfather, died a few weeks ago. I'd like to ensure that they see the remaining relatives while all enjoy good health. If you live near one of these cities, maybe some of us can finally meet, face to face.

How about a cup of coffee? Great! Let's meet! Here is my schedule for when and where I will be:

-Wednesday morning, June 23rd, Biloxi, MS
-Saturday morning, June 26th, Orlando, FL
-Tuesday morning, June 29th, New Orleans, LA

If you'd like to discuss this, make plans, offer some feedback, help me decide exactly where in each city to meet, you may do it right here and now.

I look forward to meeting with each of you and perhaps hearing what you have to say about us meeting in YOUR area next.

What about a catered affair one day? WOW!!!

Come on, folks. Let's chat...

Discuss a2z Family Reunion

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Next Monthly Theme...

Fire Up That Grill!

What a perfect June theme topic. Yes, in most parts of the a2z world, the weather will be conducive to that all-time favorite type of cooking: outside on the grill. And, in honor of fathers everywhere, what better way to please his palate than stock up on some great recipes for him to prepare? Dads are not always the first to rush into the kitchen after a hard day at work and prepare dinner. But, on weekends when everyone is relaxed, he will fire up that grill and cook. It would be particularly nice of you were able to share some recipes your special dad actually uses, but also great if you simply want to send along some for all of us to enjoy. Your submissions can also include side dish recipes that are accompaniments to your favorite grilling recipes. Let's have a great June theme by sending in some favorites today for when you Fire Up That Grill!

Note: Because the American holiday of Memorial Day is on May 31st and an ideal time to use your theme recipes, we will post the June theme while still in the month of May. And, we normally ask that only two recipes be submitted for theme issues. Because you may have some tasty side dishes for this theme, you may send those along with your two entree submissions. Ready, set, get firing!

A to Z Recipes continues with its popular Theme Issues. We will share theme recipes and post them on the first Sunday of each month. Send your recipes no later than the last Friday of each month to have them posted in the next monthly theme issue. You may send in TWO of your favorite theme recipes (plus side dishes) and in ONE email. If the number of recipes exceeds those needed in the issue, the publisher will post as many from every submitter as possible and save the remaining recipes for the following Sundays of that month. The rules for recipe submissions for the monthly theme issues are the same as ALL recipes submitted for posting.

The rules are as follows:

As a service to your fellow readers, please send only recipes that are in a form that others could easily copy and save for their own use. Recipes that would require a lot of editing or cleaning up or use non-standard measurements should not be submitted. Recipes without a name and location of sender may NOT be posted or posted without any credit given. There will be NO recipes posted that are from other recipe-zines. A to Z Recipes protects the privacy of its readers and does NOT publish email addresses. There will be no exceptions.

The deadline for June's theme issue is Friday, May 28th.

Theme recipes must have subject: "Fire Up That Grill!" and will be posted on Sunday, May 30th.

As usual, only recipes are to be sent to: A to Z Recipes Inbox

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"It is a requirement that items sent for posting NOT be from other newsletters."

Crazy Corner...

Shared by Stoney, New Hope, WV...

Extracts from actual letters sent to various councils and housing associations throughout the UK:

1. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.

2. I wish to complain that my father hurt his ankle very badly when he put his foot in the hole in his back passage.

3. .. and their 18 year old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.

4. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other night that blew them off.

5. My lavatory seat is cracked, where do I stand.

6. I am writing on behalf of my sink, which is coming away from the wall.

7. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path. My wife tripped and fell on it yesterday and now she is pregnant. We are getting married in September and we would like it in the garden before we move into the house.

8. I request permission to remove my drawers in the kitchen.

9. ..50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster and the rest are plain filthy.

10. I am still having problems with smoke in my new drawers.

11. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.

12. Will you please send a man to look at my water, it is a funny colour and not fit to drink.

13. Our lavatory seat is broken in half and is now in three pieces.

14. Would you please send a man to repair my spout. I am an old age pensioner and need it badly.

15. I want to complain about the farmer across the road; every morning at 6am his cock wakes me up and its now getting too much for me.

16. The man next door has a large erection in the back garden, which is unsightly and dangerous.

17. Our kitchen floor is damp. We have two children and would like a third so please send someone round to do something about it.

18. I am a single woman living in a downstairs flat and would you please do something about the noise made by the man I have on top of me every night.

19. Please send a man with the right tool to finish the job and satisfy my wife.

20. I have had the clerk of the works down on the floor six times but I still have no Satisfaction.

21. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broken and we can't get BBC2.

22. My bush is really overgrown round the front and my back passage has fungus growing in it.

23. ... and he's got this huge tool that vibrates the whole house and I just cant take it anymore.

24. ... that is his excuse for dogs mess that I find hard to swallow


"Bad Word" alert!
This joke contains a "bad word" so continue with caution!

Women are like apples . . .

Shared by Pam H., Swanton, OH

Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy....... So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree!

Men, on the other hand, are like a fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to women to stomp the shit out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Shared by Shirley, Bellingham, WA...

If I could, I'd enlist today and help my country track down those responsible for killing thousands of innocent people in New York City and Washington, DC. But, I'm over 50 now and the Armed Forces say I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 35 to join the military. They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join until you're at least 35.

For starters: Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier.

If we can't kill the enemy we'll complain them into submission. "My back hurts!" "I'm hungry!" "Where's the remote control?"

An 18-year-old hasn't had a legal beer yet and you shouldn't go to war until you're at least old enough to legally drink. An average old guy, on the other hand, has consumed 126,000 gallons of beer by the time he's 35 and a jaunt through the desert heat with a backpack and M-60 would do wonders for the old beer belly.

An 18-year-old doesn't like to get up before 10 a.m. Old guys get up early (to pee).

If old guys are captured, we couldn't spill the beans because we'd probably forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would actually be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we actually like soft food. We've also developed a deep appreciation for guns and rifles. We like them almost better than naps.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course, however. I've been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after training. I can hear the Drill Sergeant now, "Get down and give me...er... uhmm... uuhh... One."

The running part is kind of a waste of energy. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to actually carry on a conversation, to wear pants without the top of the butt crack showing and the boxer shorts sticking out, to learn that a pierced tongue catches food particles, and that a 200-watt speaker in the back seat of a Honda Accord can rupture an eardrum.

All great reasons to keep our sons at home and to learn a little more about life before sending them off to a possible death.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten cowards who attacked our hearts on September 11. The last thing the enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million old farts with attitudes.

Share this with your senior friends.


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Your Favorites...

PACIFIC RIM CHICKEN BURGERS
WITH GINGER MAYONNAISE

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
2/3 cup panko (see note)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Asian hot chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup bottled teriyaki glaze
4 teaspoons honey
4 sesame buns, split and toasted
4 leaves red lettuce
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
Ginger Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
cilantro sprigs

In large bowl, mix together chicken, panko, egg, onions, cilantro, garlic, chili sauce and salt. With oiled hands, form into 4 patties. In small bowl, mix together teriyaki glaze and honey. In large nonstick frypan over medium high heat, place oil. Add chicken and cook, turning and brushing with teriyaki glaze, about 10 minutes or until done. Place burgers on toasted buns and top with lettuce, cucumber and Ginger Mayonnaise. Garnish with additional cilantro and cucumber slices.

Makes 4 servings.

Note from Maggie: Panko breadcrumbs have a coarser texture than ordinary breadcrumbs, and they make for a much lighter and crunchier casserole topping and coating for deep-fried foods. They're especially good for breading seafood. Tan-colored panko is made from the whole loaf, white panko from bread with the crusts cut off. Look for both kinds in the Asian foods section of larger supermarkets. Substitutes: breadcrumbs (not as coarse, doesn't stay crisp as long) OR cracker meal OR melba toast (crushed)

STRAWBERRY BAVARIAN

~Submitted by Patti, NM

2 small pkgs Jell-o
1-1/2--2 C hot water
8 oz tub Cool Whip
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2/3 C sugar
1/2--3/4 bag unsweetened strawberries
#2 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 C nuts (optional)

Mix Jell-o with water; partially gel. Beat in Cool Whip. Add cream cheese and sugar; mix well. Add pineapple, strawberries, and nuts; mix well. Pour into desired mold and chill well.

MUSHROOM SPINACH SALAD

~Submitted by Treva, NC

8 cups (1920 ml) fresh baby spinach
8 oz (224 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
6 bacon strips, diced
2 to 3 T (30 to 45 ml) lemon juice
2 T (30 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
3 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, mushrooms and green onions. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add the lemon juice, water, mustard and pepper to the drippings; cook and stir until heated through. Immediately drizzle over salad; toss gently. Top with eggs and reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

ZUCCHINI AND RICOTTA BREAD

~Submitted by Tena, MO

2 tablespoons yeast
1/8 teaspoon honey or sugar
3 to 3 ½ cups unbleached flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup wheat germ
1 cup loosely packed grated zucchini
¾ cup whole-milk ricotta
¾ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon salt

Proof yeast in ½ cup warm water with the honey for 15 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in 3 cups of the flour, the whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, and zucchini. Add ricotta, sour cream and salt to form a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and let rise in warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until double in bulk. Heat oven to 375F with a pan with 1 cup of water inside oven. Bake the bread in a loaf pan for 45-50 minutes.

SAUCE HALIBUT STEAKS

~Submitted by Larry, Ontario, Canada

4 halibut steaks
1 beaten egg
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Place halibut in 12x7 1/2x1 1/2-inch baking dish. In saucepan, combine egg, soup, milk and half of cheese. Stir over low heat till cheese is melted and mixture is hot. Pour over fish.

Toss bread crumbs with butter and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle atop halibut steaks. Bake in 375-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with fork.

Makes 8 servings

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Heart Healthy...

CHICKEN ROSEMARY
Diabetic Recipe

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

1 broiler/whole fryer chicken
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth

Preheat broiler. Remove skin from chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a broiler pan. Broil 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned; remove from broiler. Place chicken, garlic, rosemary, wine and broth in a large saucepan. Cook and cook over medium heat about 30 minutes or until tender, turning once.

Serves 4.

Exchanges: 3 low fat meat

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For Two...

VEGETABLE & RICE PEPPER

~Submitted by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada

½ teaspoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup long-grain rice
½ cup water
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato
¼ cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
pinch each salt and pepper
1 large sweet red or yellow pepper
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook garlic and two-thirds of the green onions for 1 minute. Add rice; cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add water and oregano; cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Stir tomato, corn, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper into rice mixture. Cut red pepper in half lengthwise; remove seeds and ribs. Spoon in rice mixture. Place stuffed pepper in small skillet; pour in ½ cup water; cover and cook over medium-low heat for 17 to 20 minutes or until pepper is tender, adding water to maintain level if necessary.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; cook covered for 2 minutes or until melted. Serve sprinkled with remaining onion.

Makes 1 serving: 442 calories; 19 g protein; 14 g total fat (7 g saturated fat) 63 g carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 35 mg cholesterol; 373 mg sodium.

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Publisher's Choice...

ANGEL LUSH

1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup thawed Cool Whip Lite Whipped Topping
1 pkg (8.5 oz) angel food cake
10 whole fresh strawberries

Mix pudding mix and pineapple in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.

Cut cake horizontally into three layers.

Place bottom layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread 1 1/3 cups of pudding mixture onto bottom cake layer; cover with middle cake layer. Spread 1 cup of pudding mixture onto middle cake layer; top with remaining cake layer. Spread with remaining pudding mixture.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Makes 10 servings.

Special Extra: Garnish with 10 whole strawberries for a splash of color.
 

130 calories, 1 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 24 g sugars, 2 g protein, 0% DV vitamin A, 25% DV vitamin C, 4% DV calcium, 2% DV iron

Exchange= 1 fruit, 1 carbohydrate

Source: Kraft Kitchens

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