Happy Thanksgiving

This morning, I popped my turkey (brined the night before with Williams-Sonoma turkey brining spices a la Pioneer Woman) in the oven at 6:30. It was a big 24# turkey (purchased by my mother-in-law). They eat at high noon (obscene, isn't it?) and I wanted to make sure it was done in time.

Next, I started my Oyster Dressing. My memorable dressing tale is from when we lived in New Jersey. I was pregnant with Joshua at the time. I waddled down to the seafood market and asked for a pint of oysters. The guy behind the counter gave me a blank stare and just blinked at me for a few moments. Then he asks, "How many oysters are in a pint?" I don't know - they're sold that way in Louisiana. I tell him to get a pint container and start putting them in and I'd count. Well, I can't remember how many were in the pint, but I paid $35 for that pint of oysters. Yikes!!! That has to be the most expensive oyster dressing I've ever made. My oysters for this one cost less than $13 and that was 20 years later!!!

My second memorable oyster dressing story was trying to make it while in my first trimester of pregnancy with Morgan. Eww.....the smell of the oysters really got to me...and the sight of them....and the thought of them.....after they were cooked into the dressing, I got over it and could eat it.

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

6 cups seasoned, dry, bread stuffing mix (I use the Pepperidge Farm Herb kind)

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp poultry seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups (1 pint) chopped raw oysters and liquid (I run mine through the food processor)

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 2 quart baking dish and set aside. Melt butter in a saute' pan; add onion and celery and saute' until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in bread stuffing, blending well. Add eggs and seasonings. Mix in oysters and milk. Toss lightly, adding more milk if mixture is too dry. Turn into prepared dish. cover and bake, basting several times with turkey drippings, about 50-60 minutes. Baste frequently during the last 10 minutes to insure a crisp top. Serve immediately.

A match made in heaven - brined turkey and oyster dressing

Brooke made her Butternut Squash Crab Bisque again this year. It is SO good. We add extra red pepper to spice it up. Click here for the recipe. I got no pictures of her bisque. It was GONE.



Drunken Carrots (so named, the first time I made these years ago, by Steve's late Granny)



2 pounds carrots, sliced thin or cut julienne

2 tbsp butter or olive oil

1/4 cup sweet vermouth OR white wine - both are delicious

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish



Heat a frying pan and add carrots and butter or oil. Saute' until they just begin to brown. Add the vermouth and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir them often. Check for salt and pepper. Little should be needed. Garnish with parsley.

Okay, so I didn't add the parsley. Sue me.