AWESOME GREEN BEANS

AWESOME GREEN BEANS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 links spicy pork sausage, sliced
1 cup water
2 pounds frozen green beans
Seasoning to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat. Saute onion and garlic until
tender. Stir in sausage and cook until evenly browned.

Pour in water and bring to boil. Stir in beans, reduce heat to medium-low,
cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Check water level often
and add more if necessary to keep from scorching. Season to taste.

Snowflake Cookies

Snowflake Cookies

2 pounds vanilla-flavored candy coating (see note)
2 cups thin pretzel sticks, broken (5 ounces)
2 cups salted peanuts
2 cups Cheerios cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
2 cups Corn Chex cereal

Melt candy coating in the microwave according to package directions.
Meanwhile, break pretzels in half, making sure you have 2 cups. Mix dry
ingredients in an extra-large mixing bowl or pan (at least 4 quarts).

Drizzle the melted candy coating over the cereal mixture and stir.
Working quickly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let the
mixture dry for about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container, at
room temperature for up to 1 week.

Note: Vanilla-Flavored Candy Coating is sold in bulk or in 1-pound
packages. It is sometimes called white chocolate candy coating.

Start to finish: 20 minutes active time, 30 minutes unattended drying
time.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies

Holiday turkey lasagna

Holiday turkey lasagna

1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken stock
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted stock)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
3 cups cooked chopped or ground turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 pound lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
1 carton (15 ounces) fat-free ricotta cheese
8 ounces shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs (1 slice ground)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick
cooking spray and set aside. Combine the stock and milk, and bring to the
boiling point, either in a microwave oven or on top of the stove. Melt the
butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook,
stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot stock and milk mixture all
at once, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat
to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken,
about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the salt, pepper, sage and
thyme, and mix well. Stir in the turkey and parsley, and set aside.

Spread half of the cranberry sauce evenly over the bottom of the prepared
baking dish. Cover the sauce with a layer of the cooked lasagna noodles. Top
the noodles with the ricotta cheese and 1/3 of the turkey mixture. Add a
second layer of noodles. Spread the remaining cranberry sauce over the
noodles. Cover the cranberries with half of the remaining turkey mixture.
Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Top
with the remaining noodles, turkey mixture and shredded cheese. Sprinkle the
bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for
30 minutes, or until bubbling and lightly browned. Allow to stand for 5
minutes before cutting into eight approximately 3-by-4-inch servings. Makes
8 servings.