DF: Pumpkin Biscotti

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of a cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Meatless Monday: Vegetable Cassoulet

It's Meatless Monday. This recipe mimics the classic French cassoulet with onion, garlic, baby carrots, peppers, beans and tomatoes.

Go Meatless Monday is recognized by cities and countries all around the world. It's a day people unite around food.

This dish is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the cassole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides.

Eat Fruit Friday: Orange

It's Eat Fruit Friday. Oranges are in season. As of 1987, orange trees were determined to be the most cultivated fruit tree in the world.

There are several varieties including the navel orange, the sweet "red" blood orange and the late-season Valencia orange.

DF Apple Squares

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of an online cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Blessing Breakfast: Strawberry-Orange Smoothie with Vitamin

"Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen."xx xxxx

Frozen organic strawberries, creamy yogurt, touch of honey and orange juice whip up into tasty smoothie, a good source of Vitamin D.

Good Source of Vitamin D
One of the 13 essential vitamins needed for the body to function. You can find Vitamin D in Fish (fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and orange roughy), Fish liver oils (cod's liver oil), Fortified cereals, Fortified milk and dairy products (cheese, yogurt, butter and cream).

Strawberry-Orange Smoothie
Serves 2

2 cups Yoplait® Fat Free plain or Yoplait® 99% Fat Free creamy vanilla yogurt
1 bag (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic strawberries
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon honey

Eat Fruit Friday: Cherries

It's Eat Fruit Friday. Cherries are in season. The cherry is a fruit and peak season is summer. Several species of cherries exist, two popular varieties are wild or sweet-cherry, and sour or tart-cherry.

The West Indian cherry fruit is grown in Mexico and certain Texas regions in North America. It's tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree and has seeds.

Kitchen Tip: Is Chocolate Bad for Your Blood Pressure or Cholesterol?

Do you think that chocolate is so yummy and delicious, that it must be bad for you? Well, as a diabetic, I thought so. But not so. Chocolate is made from plants, which from what I've learned, means that chocolate has many of the health benefits of vegetables.

These benefits range from flavonoids which act as antioxidants. [Antioxidants as we know, protect the body from aging caused by free radicals… which causes damage leading to heart disease.]

Meatless Monday: Miracle Lasagna with Garlic Toast

It's Meatless Monday. Traditional, full-flavored lasagna from Cambell's Kitchen is layered together in just minutes with pasta sauce, noodles and three cheeses. It's paired with the most crunchy munchy garlic toast from McCormick.

Go Meatless Monday is recognized by cities and countries all around the world. It's a day people unite around food.

Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep (or cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo) milk whey left over from the production of cheese.

DF Yogurt Sundae

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of a cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Enjoy Food: Provolone BLT

Have you picked your lunch or main meal yet? Here's a little twist and turn from Sargento's. It's a "Cheesy BLT."

Cheese is a nutrient-rich food available in a wide variety of forms and flavors that fit easily into many healthful meal plans, including the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), diabetic, gluten free, vegetarian, and low lactose. Cheese is not a major source of sodium in the American diet.

Eat Fruit Friday: Grapes

It's Eat Fruit Friday. Grapes are in season. A grape is a fruiting berry of the deciduous woody vines.

Grapes are a type of fruit that grow in clusters of 15 to 300, and can be crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange and pink. "White" grapes are actually green in color, and are evolutionarily derived from the purple grape.

Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar, and grape seed oil. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. Store fresh grapes in the refrigerator.

DF Applesauce Cake

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of the online cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Eat Fruit Friday: Grapefruit

It's Eat Fruit Friday. Grapefruits are in season. The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour to semi-sweet fruit. It's an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit.

The varieties of Texas and Florida grapefruit include: Oro Blanco, Ruby Red, Pink, Thompson, White Marsh, Flame, Star Ruby, Duncan, and Pummelo HB". The United States is the top producer of grapefruit and pomelo followed by China and South Africa.

Grapefruit is a Superfood. It's delicious for breakfast, but it can be a tart taste and may need a sprinkle of sugar or sugar substitute.

Meatless Monday: Seitan-Cashew Blanquette

It's Meatless Monday. This is an amazing gourmet meal that is easy to make and easy on the budget, too.

Blanquette is traditionally a ragout made from lamb, veal, or chicken paired with a white cream sauce, but here, tempeh takes the staring role.

Go Meatless Monday is recognized by cities and countries all around the world. It's a day people unite around food.

Seitan is made from wheat, but has little in common with flour or bread. It's called wheat meat, wheat gluten or simply gluten. Seitan resembles the texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute.

Eat Fruit Friday: Pineapple

It's Eat Fruit Friday. The pineapple is a tropical plant. Enjoy pineapples fresh, cooked, juiced and preserved. The pineapple leaves are used to produce a textile fiber called piña in the Philippines, which is made into material for men's  and women's formal wear.

The fiber is also used as a component for wallpaper and other furnishings. Store fresh pineapple on the countertop away from direct sunlight.

DF Bittersweet Chocolate Torte

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of the online cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Meatless Monday: Walnut Almond Lettuce Wraps

It's Meatless Monday. This wrap’s filling, a surprising combination of almonds and walnuts seasoned with savory cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and coriander, literally explodes with flavor. Creamy avocados and sweet, crunchy carrot sticks add a delicious contrast.

Go Meatless Monday is recognized by cities and countries all around the world. It's a day people unite around food.

Lettuce wraps are very easy to create with an almost endless array of ingredient variations. You can use the same ingredients that you use in burritos, tortillas, pita bread or spring rolls. They secret to great wraps is the contrast of warm, flavorful fillings with the cool crunch of lettuce.

Eat Fruit Friday: Kiwi

It's Eat Fruit Friday. There are so many types of citrus fruit, and this one is an overlooked one. Originally discovered in the Chang Kiang Valley of China, kiwifruit was considered a delicacy by the great Khans who relished its emerald green color and dazzling flavor. Over 70% of kiwifruit production is in Italy, New Zealand and Chile. It's also grown in the United States.

DF Apple Pie

Here's one of the best quick & easy dessert recipes out of the online cookbook of cakes, pies, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies. It's the exclamation point on dinner recipes.

Dessert doesn't have to be elaborate to compliment your main meal entree. Even a simple last bite like a fruit compote or a pudding recipe topped with whipped cream can make a wonderful last-statement sweet.

Eat Fruit Friday: Mango

It's Eat Fruit Friday. Mangos are in season. If you haven't taken a bite of a mango, it's a taste treat. Mangos originated 4,000 years ago. According to some, mangos are eaten fresh more than any other fruit in the world. Store fresh mangos in the refrigerator.

Mangos are a Superfood. You're gonna wanna make Bobby Flay's Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramelized Mango Buttercream