Destinations Diva

        My mom had a big job on her hands--feeding a family of eight children.  Of course she was a stay at home mom and nurtured every one of us while my dad worked, but  somehow managed to bring love and efficiency into the kitchen.  Mom didn't have time for elaborate recipes.  Casseroles were great for her because everything is in one dish.  Casseroles are my ultimate comfort food and at 93, she is still making this recipe.      Of course this is one of my favorite ways to use leftover turkey (besides my Turkey Bone Gumbo-recipe and video below). The beauty of this casserole is that you can substitute ingredients or omit ingredients and it is still good. Granny's Turkey Casserole Ingredients 1 or more cups of diced turkey  1 can cream of chicken soup 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup cooked rice  3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds 3 teaspoons lemon juice 1 cup diced celery 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped 1 small jar pimento, chopped* Crush

    Wondering what to do with those turkey leftovers?  Well I have the best recipe for you!  Each year, right after Thanksgiving, my neighbors send over their turkey bones.  I boil this bones in a large pot for a long time until it transforms into a golden opaque broth.  I like to call this broth "liquid gold."  It is great for soup but even better for my specialty, gumbo.  Sometimes I wait a couple of days before starting this project, after recovering from the Thanksgiving celebration.      I never made this type of gumbo until I moved to New Orleans in the late 80's.  My Cajun mom never had time for boiling broth for hours (I have seven brothers and sisters) and she usually made her famous Turkey Rice Casserole--casseroles were big in my family since everything was in one dish (link to the recipe follows).  After I read an article in the Times Picayune newspaper about a guy who always made his own turkey bone gumbo, I decided to make mine in the Cajun way.  This is not

     Recently, I was searching the web for Mediterranean Diet recipes and came across a recipe for Bacalao Guisado or Puerto Rican Fish Stew.  I was intrigued because of the ingredients but the thought of the havoc of using Bacalao, salted dried codfish, would create, not only because of the preparation which  requires overnight soaking and rinsing several times in cold water before use.  Yuk!  Who wants to do that?!!! And I'm sure the salt content would still be quite high after all that.  My solution was to adapt the recipe by using a fresh local white fish.  This saved a considerable amount of time and added a healthy freshness that could not have been achieved in the original version.  I also threw in a few shrimp just for fun!     The recipe also called for cilantro, but I preferred to go with Italian parsley.  I also added fresh  jalapeño  for a spicy kick.  For more of a kick, add a half teaspoon red pepper flakes. Other  optional spices that would go well is cumin, chili po