No, this is not a variation on chicken salad. This turkey treat is special. I bet you never thought of making a fruit salad with your leftovers? Here it is.

TURKEY FRUIT SALAD
4 cups chopped cooked turkey breast
1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 cup chopped walnuts (pecans would do)
1 cup chopped red apples, peel and all
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Combine all fruit in large bowl. Carefully add turkey. Finally, moisten with mayonnaise. Cover and chill for 2 or 3 hours.

This recipe is so simple. We know you have turkey leftover from the big day. Make it when some time has passed and the leftovers are lounging in your freezer. Of course, you could make it with the leftover pieces of rotisserie chicken you picked up at Food City. It is good either way. I first made this recipe the Thanksgiving I discovered Brined Turkey Breast. It is a staple in my menu box.

Turkey isn't only for the holidays. The leftovers can be the basis of a delicious casserole. Don't let that package of leftover holiday bird get freezer burnt and go to waste. If you have a package languishing in the back of your freezer, rescue it and make this casserole. I suppose cooked chicken would work as well, but turkey is a favorite of mine. It can be a star here.

Does everyone in your family prefer white meat? A turkey breast is a better buy than having all the bony parts of a whole bird that only winds up being leftovers that no one wants. I found this recipe about 10 years ago. If you haven't tried to make a brined turkey breast as of yet, this is a good one to test your turkey skills. There are so many recipes for "Turkey Day". Don't think this is just another one to ignore. It does take overnight space in the fridge that could be used for jello or such.

I love the mix of pumpkin pie spices. There is something about that combination that makes me think of autumn leaves and Thanksgiving. My mother made the best pumpkin pie. She only made it around Thanksgiving time. Why wait before leaves fall before filling the house with that comforting aroma. I make pumpkin pie whenever I want to do something nice for my daughter, Anne. It is her favorite pie. For myself, I prefer Pumpkin Pie Cake. There are several ways to make it. Here is one.

Do you like pumpkin pie? Then you will like sweet potato pie. Sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine. Every October a farmer from the Carolinas brings a truck load of sweet potatoes to the parking lot in front of Janet's Hair Salon. I buy a big box of them, about 20 pounds. It takes me all year to eat them,. Thank goodness they store well at room temperature. Come August, there are a few green sprouts, but the sweet potatoes are still fine. This recipe is a good way to use up those from last year as you wait for the new crop.

I haven't met a vegetable I didn't like, from asparagus to zucchini and everyone in between. It is hard to choose a favorite. Of course, potatoes are a special category all by themselves.
For this recipe, let's look at the lowly green bean. It is easy to only consider 'em boiled with onions or combined with a cheese sauce. This recipe is a little different. Try it and see what you think.

This is an easy recipe to fix the day before grocery shopping day. This is, if you still have some potatoes in the bin and sausage in the freezer.

This is as easy as a baked dessert can be. If you are looking for something different to take to a potluck, give it a try.

CARAMEL APPLE COBBLER
2 cans apple pie filling
18 1/2 ounce box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 cup butter, melted

Pour pie filling into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan or casserole dish. Drizzle with caramel topping. Sprinkle with dry cake mix. Pour melted butter over all. Don't stir. Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes.

When you need more than one pound of hotdogs, this is a good way to fix them. Whether for a potluck or a picnic, they will be hot and ready when you need them. I prepared frankfurters, or hotdogs, this way when I was doing the Wednesday night suppers at church. They hold well if the meal is delayed or if you are driving to the lake. Leftovers can be reheated after cooling in the fridge. They should all be eaten by then.

I had a call from a friend at church today asking if I had a good macaroni salad recipe. Yes, I do. Macaroni salad is something you see at every potluck.
In fact, I remember back in the '50s when macaroni salad first became popular, an incident that comes to mind whenever someone mentions this potluck staple. My husband and I went to our family reunion. Most every dish on the table was macaroni salad. Imagine that! I never took macaroni salad to a reunion again after that.
This is a good one, however. I have brought it up to date. It's not grandma's macaroni salad.

What do you do with leftover ham after a big dinner? I don't like to freeze the leftovers. They get sort of a freezer taste if not used within a week or two. Here is a recipe that looks elegant, that is, if leftover ham can look elegant. Anyway, it tastes good.

ELEGANT CABBAGE AND HAM
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
2 cups diced cooked leftover ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttered bread or saltine crumbs

Since the red grape pie was so good, I decided to try to make a “white” grape pie. Table grapes are available most of the year, so they are around to make a fruit pie when most fresh fruit isn't in season. I use our neighbors as guinea pigs for new recipes. They loved the red grape pie. The same with this pie. “Bring it on,” they said. They will try anything I make. They loved this pie, too.

Okra is easy to fix, that is if you choose the young tender pods. If you didn't know better, you might think the larger pods are the better choice. Boy oh boy, would you be wrong. Okra gets woody and tough as it matures. Only the young ones are tender. I learned this the hard way the first time I grew okra in my garden here in Tennessee. It only happened once. My mother never raised okra. I did, but at that time only used the dried stalks as part of a dried flower arrangement. I had no idea they were edible.

Have you ever made a jelly roll? I have made a few. My first one was for the fair in my home county. I was trying for the Homemaker Award that year in the early '60s. The person who won the most ribbons in the Food and Needlework categories would get the prize. I entered everything I could think of, including a jelly roll. It was my first one. I won the Homemaker Award as well as the silver tray for Best Cake. Guess what? My jelly roll beat out those fancy frosted cakes. Wedding cakes were in a different category.

I have an easy recipe for Batter Buns. Okay, so they're yeast rolls whipped together, not kneaded.

Lazy as I am, I'm always looking for the quick and easy way out. Here it is. They have a good flavor and don't harden down overnight. That is, if you keep them in a gallon plastic freezer bag.

Yes, I know, a well-kneaded roll has a texture and flavor that can't be beat. These are the next best things. Give them a try.

Every September I buy a 20 pound box of Carolina sweet potatoes. A truck would be parked in front of Janet's Beauty Shop in Maynardville. Since I am the only sweet potato aficionado at this address, the supply lasts most of the year. I keep the box in the hallway just off our Great Room. I am telling you this because long red sprouts are rising from the box. It is past time to finish up my supply of sweet potatoes.

Who says you can't have chili in the summertime? Hot dishes come from the south of the border tropical climes. Chili is good anytime and any place. This is a real summertime recipe. It features the plentiful zucchini fresh from the garden or Food City. It makes a big batch so plan to freeze some for another day.

When I think of meatloaf I think of ground beef. Turkey makes a good meatloaf, too. It has only been in recent times that ground turkey has been available. Turkey was like chicken. You bought the whole bird. Worse yet, turkey was only available at Thanksgiving time. A butcher would think you were crazy if you asked for a pound of ground turkey at the meat counter.

I have always liked red table grapes, but have previously looked in vain for a way to cook them. A few years ago our church group took a trip up to Cumberland Falls in Kentucky. While there, we had lunch at their tearoom. Grape Salad was on the menu. It was delicious and new to all of us. We asked for the recipe. The one they gave us didn't turn out at all like the tasty salad we had there. Don't you hate that? When someone gives you a recipe and its not quite like their dish.