All the talk about Scalloped Oysters - I am adding them to my menu for this year. I found the following Martha Stewart recipe, it sounds pretty good to me, but since I have never had a scalloped oyster, I'm not sure if it has too much "stuff" and should I stick to the recommendations above? Scalloped Oysters Choose fresh, briny oysters that are small or medium in size. Martha Stewart Living, November 2012 http://www.marthastewart.com/939250/scalloped-oysters Prep Time25 minutes Total Time35 minutes Serves8 Ingredients 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish 3 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 celery stalk, very thinly sliced on the diagonal (1/2 cup) 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped (1/3 cup) 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 tablespoons dry sherry 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 pints (32 ounces) shucked fresh oysters in their liquor, drained, with 2 tablespoons liquor reserved 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Directions 1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in top position. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, and remove from heat. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs evenly in baking dish, and transfer remaining breadcrumbs to a plate. 2.Wipe pan clean, and return to stove. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Saute celery and scallions, stirring occasionally, until scallions just begin to soften but celery is still bright green, about 2 minutes. Stir in thyme. Add sherry, and simmer 30 seconds. Add cream, and bring to a boil. Stir in reserved oyster liquor, the nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in oysters. 3.Spread oyster mixture evenly over breadcrumbs in baking dish. Top with remaining breadcrumbs, and bake until bubbling and oysters are just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

I am heading over to my daughter's home to help her cook for Tday as she had my second grandson in September and with the 3 year old has her hands pretty full. Also, I gave my son my HUGE table (sat 16) as it was way too large for my small dining room. We are only having 6 around the table this year as many of the extended family are traveling to their respective in-laws or just getting away. As always I was invited to dinner at my fiance's ex wife's home . . . but I have declined because my daughter really needs the help. He declined but his wonderful children have planned to spend some of the morning with him so he will be able to spend some time with that portion of his family (love that!). Since we have such a small gathering we are being a bit conservative with the food. As I am Celiac I have to duplicate several things to be safe for my consumption . . . so I am doing a turkey (will take some to eat and then divvy up the rest to be leftovers for sandwiches) my GF stuffing and gravy I am making Sour Cream Apple pie, pecan tassies and grilled asparagus Daughter (with help) is making main Turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie and the "famous" green bean casserole" Ex SIL is bringing "watergate salad (a fav of my Son In Law), rolls and the sweet potato souffle. I brought fresh cranberries to try my hand at making orange cranberry relish as it is my fiance's favorite type of cranberry and I wanted him to have a favorite dish from his traditional dinners, that is also why I am grilling asparagus as it is his favorite veg.

Party_music, here is the recipe. It is from the Robin Hood Flour website. Apple Cranberry Muffins Like most recipes, even using the first time I made minor adjustments. Here is the link to the original recipe:http://www.robinhood.ca/.../Apple-Cranberry-Crumble-Muffins and the recipe with my minor adjustments. Basically using butter instead of oil. Adding a little salt and vanilla and subbing some sour cream for some of the yogurt. Source: Robin Hood Flour With some minor adjustments. Topping ¼ cup brown sugar, packed ¼ cup almonds, chopped 3 tbsp Robin Hood® Oats ½ tsp cinnamon pinch salt 1 tbsp Butter Muffins 2¼ cups Robin Hood Original All Purpose Flour 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/3 cup melted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups peeled and diced apples ¾ cup cranberries, fresh or frozen Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease or line 15 muffin cups with paper liners. Topping: Combine all ingredients. Mix well in a small bowl. Set aside. Muffins: Combine flour, brown sugar and baking soda, salt in large bowl. Whisk egg, yogurt, sour cream , vanilla and melted butter in medium bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Stir in apples and cranberries. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean.

I don't spend a lot of time cooking-my kitchen is awful, no usable counter space so I do a lot of very simple foods, but when the urge strikes, I make more diverse dishes. Following are my faves - Beef Main Dish: I make a family dish, we call it agasate. It's a braised eye round roast, then removed from the pan to soften a couple of chopped onions and some garlic. Put roast back in, cover with water and set to boil. Once roast is cooked, remove and cook down the juices to make a thick gravey-almost like french onion soup. Serve over thick noodles and be generous with the freshly grated parmesan. - Ground Beef Main Dish: Meatloaf and scalloped potatoes - Chicken Main Dish: Chicken alfredo w/broccoli served over noodles -Ground Chicken or Turkey Main Dish: - Pork Main Dish: Baked pork chops and roasted veggies - Vegetarian Main Dish: Baked penne with marinara - Pasta Main Dish: Pasta with my homemade meat sauce - Out on the Grill Main Dish: rib eye steak smothered in crushed garlic - Main Dish Salad: Grilled chicken, chopped apple and pecans over spring greens - Fish Main Dish: Fish tacos-usually made with either mahi mahi or cod, with shredded cabbage, lime & cilantro - Other Seafood Main Dish (such as Shrimp, Scallops, Etc.): I hate shellfish, so I never make anything like that. - Vegan Main Dish: pad thai - Homemade Soup: beef bourguingon or split pea with ham - Main Dish Sandwich: Oven roasted turkey, swiss cheese, cranberry mustard on crusty french bread. - Non-Vegetable Side Dish: ? Stuffing? - Veggie Side Dish: Roasted veggies-beets, carrots, red and white potatoes and parsnips are staples. - Quick & Easy Dessert: Ice Cream! Fresh pineapple when feeling ambitious. - Breakfast Main Dish: Overnight peach french toast