It's over. You made it through. The family. The travel. The food. Done. (Until next month when you have to do it again. With the added joy of gift giving.) Now you have a fridge full of leftover turkey your aunt made you bring home (because you're looking too thin) and you're not sure you can look at another piece of white meat, let alone try to choke down another bite.

Rather than leave it in there until it turns green and starts to decompose, turn it into something you will eat. Something other than the dry (and quickly getting dryer) slab of roasted poultry it is now.

Turkey salad is the way to go. Other ingredients in the mix will add flavor and moisture. And it's versatile, perfect for any situation. You can throw it on a sub roll with some cranberry sauce for lunch. Or grab some crackers and have it as a snack. Or line a couple of plates with lettuce leaves and top each with a scoop for a quick, healthy dinner she'll love.

BG's What Am I Gonna Do With All This Turkey? Salad

You'll need:
3 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3-4 green onions, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (optional, but adds color)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a large mixing bowl, and mix until thoroughly coated. Boom. Done.

This basic recipe is to get you going. If you're feeling adventurous, add some chopped bacon. Or some diced apples with walnuts or pecans. Even grapes work. The idea is to create something different, interesting, and flavorful that you'll actually eat. Because your mother would be very upset if she knew you were wasting food.

The Grain Foods Foundation, (not to be confused with People for the Ethical Treatment of Twinkies), asked people across the country to send in their recipe for America's Healthy Sandwich Showdown, with the added challenge that it also be great tasting. (Sorry, Tofurkey and Alfalfa Sprouts on Rice Cakes.)

Tracey McCaughey of Ardmore, PA beat out over 1200 other entries with her Grilled Chicken with Pomegranate and Caramelized Onion Reduction and Goat Cheese. (It's much easier to make than it is to say.) Give it a try. Your body, and your taste buds, will thank you.

Grilled Chicken with Pomegranate & Caramelized Onion Reduction and Goat Cheese

4 whole grain Kaiser rolls
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, about 3 cups
1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup honey
2 chicken breasts
3 ounces creamy goat cheese
Leaves of 1 romaine heart

1. To make the Pomegranate & Caramelized Onion Reduction: In a medium skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil until warm and add the onion. Cook onion on med-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Add the pomegranate juice and honey, and cook for about 10 minutes until reduced to about 3/4 cup.

2. While sauce is reducing, heat grill pan on medium heat and grill chicken breasts until done, about 10 minutes. Slice each breast in half lengthwise.

3. Open rolls and spread goat cheese evenly on the bottom half of each roll. Place a couple leaves of lettuce on top of the goat cheese and top lettuce with grilled chicken breasts. Spoon pomegranate reduction over chicken breasts and the other half of the Kaiser roll. Top chicken breasts with roll. Serve on a bed of multivitamins.
(I made that last part up.)

Makes four sandwiches

If the last one in the bag is red, your wish will come true. Orange ones are lucky, brown one's are unlucky. And the green ones make you horny. (Which I found, after spending all my allowance and several hours picking out green ones to give my 8th grade girlfriend, is not true. Although, at the time I did have braces and a mullet, so you never know.)

Since their introduction in 1941, M&M's have been the subject of urban legends, demanded in the dressing rooms of rock stars, shot into space on the Shuttle, and flown as balloons in holiday parades. The "m" printed on the side is a universally recognized marketing icon. As is the tag line, "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands", which has also been parodied to death. (Yeah, like in the title of this post.)

Now you can leverage some of this notoriety for yourself. M&M's has a program called "My M&M's" where you can print two lines of custom text, up to eight characters each, right on the candy coating. You also get to choose two of 17 candy colors and customized packaging.

Need a holiday gift for your business clients? Have your company logo printed in place of the "m". Want to make an impression on a special someone? Have a custom message printed just for her. Or give a bag as a highly personalized gift for a holiday party host. Let your imagination run wild. Mine is. Now if I can just track down my 8th grade girlfriend.

From $11.50 per 7 oz. bag. My M&M's

There are two things most people think of when you say "truffles". They either imagine the small, rich, chocolates with the soft center, or they picture the large, ugly, pungent fungus that grows underground. I'm talking about the fungus.

As I type this, foodies world-wide are losing their minds over white Italian truffles. Available only from about mid-October until early December, this incredibly aromatic and earthy truffle is more subtly scented than the black variety.

Found today the same way they were in the 17th century - rooted out by sniffing pigs, and, more recently, dogs - this wildly popular, and hard to find, fungus can cost as much as $145 per ounce.

And, although a truffle looks completely unappetizing in their whole form - and was thought to be manifestations of the devil for a short time during the Middle Ages - it is prized by chefs who shave it over winter meals including pastas, rich soups, and risotto. The flavor it adds has to be tasted to be appreciated. So when heading out to eat this month, look for it on menus and suggest something new for your date to try. (You can leave out the found-under-a-tree-by-a-pig part).

Or, if you are feeling particularly motivated, you can purchase truffles from gourmet distributors online, and make something at home. Just know that the prep and storing of truffles requires some care. Personally, I tend to leave it to the professionals.

A side note: The early Greeks and Romans considered truffles to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Many people agree.