What's cooking in my kitchen

Remember about a month ago when I put my leftover turkey in bags and put them in the freezer?

Today I'm making a double batch of Jambalaya, using four cups of that turkey, a quart of my home-canned tomatoes, diced chopped sweet peppers frozen last summer, and home-made chicken broth. I notice I only have one more freezer bag of broth (1 1/2 cups); I start to panic when I get that low on broth. So many of our healthy, low-fat recipes call for it. So I'm pulling a package of chicken leg quarters out of the freezer in order to replenish my supply.

Don't worry, I'll be removing that bay leaf.

To go with it, I found the cutest little butternut squash -

Just the right amount for a side dish for two people. I'll put a tiny bit of brown sugar in the hollowed-out place and microwave it for six or seven minutes.

Want a low-fat, good-for-you, one-dish meal for the new year? Try my Better-Homes-and-Garden version of Chicken (or turkey) Jambalaya.

CHICKEN JAMBALAYA

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 14 ½ ounce can of chopped tomatoes

1 ½ cups chicken broth

2/3 cup long grain rice

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I add chopped garlic with the onions, peppers and celery and skip this ingredient)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 to ½ bottled hot pepper sauce, or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (I prefer cayenne)

1 bay leaf

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1. In a large skillet cook celery, onion and sweet pepper in oil till vegetables are tender but not brown.

2. Stir in undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, uncooked rice, basil, garlic powder, pepper, hot pepper sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or till rice is tender. Stir in chicken or turkey; heat through. Discard bay leaf. Makes 4 servings.

354 calories, 12 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 68 mg chol., 610 sodium, 32 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 27 grams protein. 15% vitamin A, 37% vitamin C, 22% iron.