This list will help the most novice cook.

Cooking a healthy Thanksgiving meal takes some thought and calls for a little more attention to detail. For starters, using the best ingredients is very important. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or newbie, who’s planning a healthy Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll need to have the right ingredients on hand.

Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect meal to add more flavor while reducing the added sodium, sugars, and fats — your family and friends will beg for more.

Sure, you could prepare a meal high in sodium, sugar, and fat — but why? You’ve waited all year to show your culinary ‘chops.’ Don’t spoil the opportunity by not using the best ingredients for the most important meal of the year. Trust me — your family will love that you took the time to think about their health. Your food will not only taste good but will be healthy too! …

What a relief — the damn election is over!

Right now, my emotions are running rampant! One minute I want to breathe a long-awaited sigh of relief, and the next I’m on the verge of a snotty-nose, body-quivering cry! This presidential election has taken its toll!

After four years of Trump’s compulsive lying, conspiracy theories, outright allegiance to white supremacists and frolicking with racists, the constant barrage of Twitter storms laced with despicable untruths, and the brazen rejection of people of color, I’m beyond baffled that a staggering percentage of Americans voted for the incumbent president — WTF!

Those of us with some sense of humanity desired to see a repudiation of Trump’s wretched behavior — a confirmation of rejection. Something! We got nada, except a picture of reality — America is a country filled with 72 million racists! …

The decision we make in a few days will show who we really are.

As someone who’s lived through the social and racial unrest of the 1960s, I’ve seen America at one of its ugliest and darkest moments. I carry the painful memories of the brutal dog and firehose attacks on Black protesters for social justice, the riots, and civil turmoil. Those dark moments are like a wound that never heals — forming a crusty scab, oozing with pus before becoming infected. …

You’ll wonder how you ever survived without this recipe!

Forget the roll of paper towels and cheesecloth you’ve used in the past, to soak up every drop of liquid from your tofu [trust me on this]! And, you won’t need to fry the tofu only to have it crumble into pieces. This method of cooking tofu will make you a believer in this crispy, meatiness version.

I was never big on cooking tofu, although I’ve been a vegetarian for 38 years — tofu wasn’t my thing! My diet consists of simple foods, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry. …

It’s funny how you never really know someone’s story until you talk with them. In this unprecedented time, it’s easy to become self-absorbed. We get lost in our own bubble of existence and overlook others.

Recently, a colleague and I were on the phone waiting for our conference call to start. We swapped our wait time, and the silence, for a mental check-in session, while we waited for our other colleague to join the call. “So how are you doing?” I asked. “Are you managing ok?” …

Even in the face of family scrutiny…

I still remember the last time I ate red meat. It was in 1982 — 38 years ago. I had come home late one night, feeling hungry and tired. My mom had left out food in a covered cast-iron skillet. She would often leave enough leftovers out for my siblings and me — whoever managed to get home first. That night, I was lucky and got first dibs — so I thought.

I lifted the lid to see a medium-well done T-bone steak smothered in onions and gravy, and a side of white rice. Dang! Why steak and gravy? …

A simple strategy that works for the Obamas and can work for you too.

I’ve been married nearly four decades―39 years, to be exact. I’m often asked what is the secret to a long, happy marriage. I smile and say: “There isn’t a secret―only consistent effort to make it work.”

When you see couples who appear to have defied the odds and made their marriages work, rather than ending in divorce, you might wonder: ‘What’s their secret?’ …

Racial injustice rears its ugly head once again.

Black folks are going hungry! Who gives a damn?!

It’s astonishing that America, one of the richest countries on earth, is unwilling to help its citizens in the current COVID-19 crisis. I know — I shouldn’t be so cynical — blame it on years of constant exposure to double standards, white privilege, and institutional racism.

The current pandemic that is wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy has hurled millions of Americans into a new reality of food banks, food lines, and handouts — many furloughed or laid-off, at no fault of their own, without a lifeline of financial help. Their lives turned upside down and thrown into a downward spiral. …