RECIPES: Baked oysters ... Cranberry relish ... Megan's Mom's cornbread stuffing

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Baked Oysters

1 quart raw oysters

1 cup Holland Rusk

1 cup of butter, softened

2 cups of cracker crumbs

¼ to ½ cup half and half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush crackers and Holland rusk. Add butter and mix thoroughly.

Spray a 9-by-9-inch cake pan with Pam or other vegetable oil. Layer the bottom of the pan with half the cracker mixture and then top with oysters. Add remaining cracker mixture. Pour oyster juice and ¼ to ½ cup of half and half over ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes.

Cranberry Relish

1 pound cranberries

3 apples (recipe calls for winesap (see note)

1 large orange

2 cups sugar

A couple of days before Thanksgiving, wash and sort cranberries. Quarter and seed unpeeled apples and orange. Put fruits through medium blade of meat grinder (or use food processor). Make sure the orange peel is chopped quite finely. Stir in sugar.

Put in a container; cover refrigerate for a few days. Flavor improves with age.

Note: Recipe calls for winesap, but you can use any kind.

Bread Dressing with Ground Pork

1 loaf dried bread

½ pound ground pork (sausage may be substituted)

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 egg

¼ cup milk

1 small onion, diced

1 or 2 stalks celery, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak bread in warm water for ½ hour. Squeeze out water and place in large bowl with other ingredients except milk. Mix by hand. Add milk. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Megan’s Mom’s Cornbread Stuffing

3 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 package turkey wings and parts (necks and gizzards if you can find them)

1 tablespoon cooking oil

3 to 4 stalks of celery

2 to 3 carrots

1 onion

2 to 3 whole cloves (optional)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

8 to 10 stalk of celery

1 onion

½ to 1 stick butter

Poultry seasoning (optional)

Mix together cornbread mix, eggs and milk. Let it sit on counter for about 1 minute, then fold it into a greased 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Bake for approximately 18 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees or whatever the box says. (Try to make it at least two days ahead, so that it gets stale.)

After it’s nice and stale, cube it and flip it into the largest mixing bowl or pot you have.

Brown turkey parts in oil. Add about 3 or 4 stalks of celery, about 2 or 3 carrots and 1 onion. Stud the onion with whole cloves.

Fill the stock pot with water and bring to a light boil. If there is any foam on the top, skim it off. Add bay leaf, about 1 teaspoon salt, a little pepper and cover pot. Simmer for at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours. (The longer it simmers, the better it will be.) When you are happy with the taste of the turkey stock, remove the parts and vegetables and then stain the stock into another pot. (This step is best done at least one day before you actually need it.)

Chop about 8 to 10 stalks of celery and one onion. Saute gently in batches, if necessary, in about half a stick of butter for each batch. Add this mixture to the cubed, stale cornbread. Add a pinch of poultry seasoning.

Moisten the mixture with your homemade turkey broth, a ladle at a time. This is the tricky part because too little, and it will be dry; too much, and it will turn to mush. You want it moderately moist. If your cubes are starting not to look like cubes, don’t add anymore broth.

Put the stuffing in a lightly greased tinfoil pan, cover it and bake it for about 30 to 40 minutes at 325 to 350 degrees. Serve.

Refrigerate any leftovers fairly promptly.

Old-Fashioned Dressing

4 tablespoons margarine or butter

2 cups celery, diced

1 cup onion, chopped

8 cups dried bread cubes (using whole-wheat bread or a mixture of white and wheat bread)

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped or dried

¼ cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 teaspoon ground sage

¾ teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups chicken broth

Toast bread then cut into small cubes. Set aside for later use. Melt margarine or butter in a medium-sized fry pan. Add celery and onion; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, mushrooms (if desired), seasoning and broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the toasted bread cubes. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 10.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 140 calories, 6 grams fat, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams protein, 210 milligrams sodium.

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