For the millions of American on diet restrictions due to a chronic illness, such as chronic kidney disease, enjoying holiday meals can be very difficult. Restricted diets limit the food and fluid options for those patients, while their family and friends gather around dinner tables to share holiday cheer. That's why Fresenius Medical Care and Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., star of Food Network’s Big Daddy’s House, partnered to develop dialysis-friendly recipes. Patients and people entertaining family and friends with restricted diets can enjoy this Apple-Stuffed Cinnamon Bundles recipe this holiday …

Here's your turkey grocery list: Turkey (determine size based on Tip 1 below)Stuffing (see package for amount needed based on turkey weight)Chicken BrothOnionsCeleryButterSpices: Sage, Thyme, Poultry Seasoning, Basil, Salt, PepperAluminum FoilThermometer (if you don't already have one)Roasting Pan Tip 1: When purchasing your whole turkey, figure 1-1-½ pounds per person, which allows ½ pound for leftovers.  Tip 2: Frozen turkeys should be defrosted in the refrigerator for 2-5 days prior to cooking depending on the size. Figure approximately 1 day for every 4 pounds. Never defrost at room …

It’s time for Thanksgiving, my favorite time of the year! Not only do you get to see family, but the food is plentiful and delicious. If your family is anything like mine, there are multiple side dishes to choose from to accompany the all-important turkey or ham. Everything from green bean casserole to sweet potato pie has been served at our table and now, I would like to share some fantastic side dish recipes that may become a part of your Thanksgiving tradition. Ingredients Potato Casserole 3 lbs Red potatoes, sliced 1 lb Broccoli, chopped 1 10.75 oz can Cream of chicken 1 cup Sour cream ½ …

For those struggling to maintain a healthy weight, a holiday dinner can be one of the toughest meals of the year. In many families, it's considered almost rude not to gorge yourself on huge platters of turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes, never mind the pies and other desserts. Is it even possible to make it through Thanksgiving or Christmas without a huge overdose of fat and calories? In fact, if you plan ahead, you can cut loads of fat and close to 400 calories from your holiday meal and still make it seem like a feast. Gloria Tsang offers these simple strategies to help make it happen: …

It is not too early for Thanksgiving recipes, and never too early for pumpkin pie! Try the pumpkin pie recipe below, and send your favorite holiday recipes to Cartersville@patch.com. Ingredients Pie Filling 1 sugar pumpkin 3 eggs 1 egg yolk ½ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup sugar 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp Allspice ½ tsp salt 1 12oz can evaporated milk Crust 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour ½ cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup water Process Crust In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. On low speed with the paddle …

When my family moved to Texas a few years ago, they introduced me to a local casserole that is easy to make and delicious — the King Ranch Chicken Casserole. It combines a lot of my favorite ingredients (meat and garlic) as well as a plethora of interchangeable southwest flavors. This dish is fit for a Texas-sized king, and don’t worry, there isn’t any ranch dressing in there! Ingredients 1 whole chicken 1 onion (chopped) 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of potato soup (cream of mushroom works well too) 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans 1 (10-…

Nothing screams summer like cold, thirst-quenching popsicles. Water will keep you hydrated, but popsicles put a smile on your face. Even better than the ubiquitous cherry, grape and orange popsicles you buy at the grocery store, are homemade popsicles because you can create countless flavor combinations and control the quality of the ingredients. Popsicle making is easy, fun and a great activity to do with kids. Let them get into the kitchen and help you chop ingredients and experiment with flavors. They will enjoy the fruits of their labor while you enjoy the fact that they’re…well… eating …

School has ended. Temperatures are in the sweltering mid 90s. I guess it is safe to say that summer has arrived. For some this is a time of celebration. No more freezing temperatures, no more school and tan skin. For others this is a sticky, humid, sweaty and just exhausting. I myself am more of an early-spring or fall type of girl. The whole make up running down my face while I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes really isn't my thing. Regardless of your feelings towards the summer season, there are a few definite positives. The longer sunlit hours and weekends filled with outdoor activities …

Now that the weather has warmed up and temperatures are increasing, most of us of trying to come up with dinner options that do not involve standing over a hot stove. So just what do you do when the kids refuse to be ignored when they ask “what’s for dinner?” If you are reasonably sure you aren’t going to singe your eyebrows off, then get outside and fire up the grill. Once you are sure your facial hair is safe, then you can mix up some burgers while the grill heats up. Homemade burgers are a lot of fun to experiment with. You certainly do not have to strictly use ground beef. Ground pork is …

If you are like me, you love Girl Scout cookies. These treats come around once a year and make a lot of people very happy. A significant amount of those people buy the cookies in bulk, which means there are a lot of extra cookies to eat. So I devised a recipe to take advantage of those spare cookies, Thin Mint Mud Pie. With a homemade chocolate mousse and of course the cookies, this recipe is sure to please the kids as well as mom and dad. Ingredients 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking chips 2 cups heavy whipping cream 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 sleeve Thin Mint cookies…

If you’re like me, you try to sneak as much healthy stuff into mealtimes as you possibly can, while avoiding the “Eww, gross!” reaction. When my husband and I were first married, he was strictly a meat and potatoes man. I once cut firm tofu into small squares, coated it in Italian breadcrumbs, and then fried it with some chicken bouillon and told him it was chicken tenders. When I let it slip over a month later, it wasn’t pretty but when it comes to healthy eating, score 1 for subterfuge. A healthy diet does not consist solely of salads. It is possible to lighten dishes up without losing any …

We have pictures of me as a little kid, standing in my grandmother’s kitchen, covered head to toe in flour and grinning from ear to ear. Some of my fondest memories of her are in that kitchen. I was a picky eater as a kid but I always loved to cook, thanks to her. While my nine year old son, Dylan, didn’t get to meet my grandmother, he has definitely inherited the passion for cooking she instilled in me. He loves tasting spices while we cook together. For some inexplicable reason, the boy loves Old Bay seasoning and would eat it by the spoonful if I would allow it. As it is, he eats it on …

Spring has arrived and summer is right around the corner. What is better than warm weather, blooming flowers, and outdoor activities? Topping a “Best of Summer” list has to be the clean, fresh flavors of fruits and vegetables that make your taste buds pop. More and more, summer produce find themselves in both savory and sweet dishes. Citrus fruits, in particular, add a positive punch to many recipes. Specifically, lemon and limes are commonly incorporated in dishes since they are some of the best acids to enhance other flavors. But, let’s not forget about oranges. Oranges offer freshness …