Tammy, grilling season can't be far away for you in West Virgina. I love this recipe; it's so different from what I usually cook. The burger is very moist and just a touch sweet. Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger * 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions * 1/2 cup finely chopped celery * 3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced * 1/8 cup canola oil * 4 pounds ground turkey breast * 2 Tbsp. salt * 1 Tbsp. black pepper * 2 tsp. Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce * 1 lemon , juiced and grated zest * 1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped * 1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney , pureed Directions: Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll. (I haven't made any changes to the recipe other than to make the burgers smaller--probably around 1/3# each. It is so good that I can't think of anything that would improve the orig. recipe. Any leftovers are still great the next day, just nuked to warm them.) ---------------------------------------------------- Another recipe that would be good for a crowd like yours is the Bierocks recipe that I posted on the February New Recipe Review thread. I was initially a little disappointed in them. Either I underestimated them or Bierocks are just better reheated--after the flavors have melded. Bierocks Dough (Pam's Bierocks by Pushkemaa) 2 c. warm water 2 pkg yeast (I used 1 T.) 1/2 c. white sugar 1/4 c. margarine, softened (butter, of course) 1 egg 2 t. salt 7 c. AP flour (I made the dough the evening before.)I just dumped the ingred. into the bread machine & let the machine do the work. Had to add quite a lot of extra water. You want a soft dough & even w/ the extra water, the dough ended up being a little stiffer than I would have liked. So, I would suggest cutting back the am't of flour to 5 1/2 - 6 cups & adding more if needed. (Another reason to cut back on the flour is because this recipe made more dough than need for the filling.) After mixing the dough, I turned it into a greased bowl, covered w/ plastic & popped it into the refrigerator overnight. Bierocks Filling (allrecipes Pamela Logsdon) 1 lb ground beef 1 onion, chopped (used 3 T. dehydrated onions) 1 clove garlic (used 3 cloves) 1 1/2 t. salt (omitted because of DH) 1 1/2 t. lemon pepper (Used lemon zest & pepper) 1 small head cabbage, shredded 2 T. Worcestershire sauce 2 t. Caraway seeds (I lightly toasted) 1/2 c. butter (didn't use) Saute beef, onion, garlic, salt & lemon pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat until beef is browned. Add cabbage, Worcestershire sauce & caraway seed. Cook until cabbages is limp; drain liquid from mixture. (My mixture was very dry, probably because I used the dehydrated onions?) Let beef/cabbage cool to room temp or lukewarm. Now, it's time to roll out the dough. Squeeze off approx. golf balled size (or slightly larger) piece of dough. Roll out on unfloured surface to about 5'' diameter. Measure 1/4 c. of cabbage mixture into circle (I added about 1 t. of water to each pile of cabbage because my mixture was so dry), gather up edges & pinch the edges together, sealing the seam well. Place seam side down onto parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat until all dough & meat mixture is used. (When rolling out the dough, you want it to stick to the surface so it doesn't shrink back up. I had heck w/ these at first until I tossed the pastry cloth & rolled it directly on the counter. I'd get it to stick to my marble rolling pin, then peel it off the pin and stick the side that was stuck onto the pin--stick that side to the counter--and finish rolling.) I ended up with 15 bierocks & 5 extra 'hot rolls' from the extra dough. Let rise for an hour or so. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or wrap & freeze for heating later. Or bake the day before desired serving & reheat.

Here are two of my favorites. MAPLE-PEPPER SALMON BITES This is a very quick recipe to make; just remember to start marinating the salmon the day ahead. You can easily half or double the amounts. 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup soy sauce 24 ounces skinned salmon fillet 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper vegetable or canola oil Cut salmon into bite-size cubes. Combine maple syrup and soy sauce in a medium-size bowl and add salmon, making sure the fish is fully immersed in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Grease a sheet of aluminum foil with the oil (vegetable oil sprays work well). Preheat oven to 500F. Put pepper in small bowl or plate and dip top of salmon pieces into pepper. Place each peppered piece on foil, then cook in oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 6 as an hors d'oeuvre. Antipasto Bowl This appetizer should be made two hours in advance. 3 cups (2-inch) sliced asparagus (about 3/4 pound) 3 cups quartered mushrooms (about 3/4 pound) 1 cup red bell pepper strips 1/2 cup pitted ripe olives 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 2/3 cup) 1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained 1 (11.5-ounce) jar pickled pepperoncini peppers, drained 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced Steam asparagus, covered, for 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain well. Combine the asparagus, mushrooms, and the next 5 ingredients (mushrooms through pepperoncini peppers) in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour vinaigrette over the vegetable mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours; stir occasionally. Note: Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

I've got a lacto-ovo, a vegan, two flexible ones that like everything, and a meat lover in my house. Here's one for breakfast, or breakfast for dinner: Apologies in advance because a lot of my recipes are made up and I don't have measurements. That's how I roll on a lot of stuff. I'll post a list of what I've been making lately. Let me know which you'd like the whole recipe for. Vegan tofu scramble with assorted veggies See variations for Lacto-Ovo changes Basic tofu scramble: Drain, press and chop a package of medium-hard tofu (or other hardness as desired). Chop some vegan breakfast sausage (optional). Heat a small amount of vegan butter, olive oil or veggie oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add all your other chosen veggies. (see “Variations”). Add chopped tofu. Add chopped vegan breakfast sausage if using. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tofu is slightly browned and veggies are soft. Serve with toast or wrap in a tortilla for a breakfast taco. Note: For Lacto-Ovo Variations, add cheese of your choice. Variations: Make it Italian: Veggies: onions, garlic. Add: a pinch of red pepper flakes and Italian spice mix or dried oregano. At end: fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Make it French: Veggies: shallot, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes. Add: a pinch of dried basil and fresh chopped marjoram. At end: fresh chopped parsley. Make it Greek: Veggies: onions, garlic, tomatoes. Add: a pinch of dried basil. At end: fresh chopped parsley and crumbled feta cheese. Make is Mexican: Veggies: onions, garlic, sweet peppers, serrano pepper, seeded and chopped. Add: a small amount of cumin and Emeril’s Blend spice mix (get recipe online, mix it up at home and use it on all things Cajun or Mexican). Serve with lime wedges, Chilula hot sauce, avocado slices, shredded cotija cheese and tortillas. Make it Indian: Veggies: onions, garlic. Add: red or green curry paste. Make it Asian: Veggies: onions, garlic, shredded carrot. Add: Spicy or mild Kim Chi. Serve with rice. Make is Milanese: Veggies: onions, garlic, green peppers. At end: fresh chopped parsley. Make it Californian: Veggies: onions, sweet peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes. At end: fresh chopped parsley. Serve with avocado slices.

If I'm making pancakes, I try for only what I'll eat, since I can't deal with reheated ones. Otherwise, most comfort foods are in the category of cook (hence clean up) once, eat twice or more. I'm very open to utilizing things in other ways but don't get hung up on "it has to be 'different'" philosophy. And I choke back vomit when I see someone try to make a meatloaf and mashed potatoes look like a cake. UGH! I grew up eating leftovers. I still aim for "premeditated" leftovers. It more economical, just as tasty most of the time and often it can taste better. If it's too much, a freezer can be your friend. And I am a strong supporter of saving energy, both appliance and mine. Since the health issues set in, standing at the stove for hours is no longer a regular option.