This is an old family recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

2 cups cranberries
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 package cherry Jello
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced apple
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cook cranberries in water. When tender add sugar and cook five minutes. Pour boiling mixture over Jello powder and stir until dissolved. Chill and when partially set, add rest of ingredients.
Pour into ring mold or serving bowl and chill.

From the Fannie Farmer Baking Book

Whisk 1 ENVELOPE ACTIVE DRY YEAST and 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Heat 1 CUP WHOLE MILK in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm. Combine 1/4 CUP VEGETABLE SHORTENING. 3 TABLESPOONS SUGAR, and 1 1/2 TEASPOONS KOSHER SALT in a large bowl. Add warm milk; whisk to blend, breaking up shortening into small clumps (it may not melt completely). Whisk in yeast mixture and 1 ROOM TEMPERATURE LARGE EGG. Add 3 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Knead dough with lightly floured hands on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350. Melt 1/4 CUP UNSALTED BUTTER in a small saucepan. Lightly brush a 13×9 inch baking dish with some melted butter. Punch down dough; divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12×6 inch rectangle.
Cut lengthwise into three 2 inch wide strips; cut each crosswise into 4×2 inch rectangles. Brush half with melted butter; fold unbuttered side over, allowing a 1/4 inch overhang. Place flat in 1 corner of the dish, folded edge against short side of dish. Add remaining rolls, shingling to form 1 long row. Repeat with remaining dough for 3 or 4 rows. Brush with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
Bake rolls until golden brown and puffed, about 25-35 minutes. Brush with butter; sprinkle with FLAKY SEA SALT. Serve warm.

This is a refreshing holiday drink for those of us who do not care for any wine or cocktails. This drink can also be used to clean your palate.
Makes 3 1/2 cups

12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Pour over ice and top with club soda or Pellegrino.

This is a traditional Thanksgiving Eve meal.
Serves 4 for appetizer, 2 for dinner.

1/4 cup butter
8 ounces whole oysters in jar with liquid
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
dash of paprika
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley for garnish

In a medium saucepan, place the butter, oysters with liquid, milk, cream, salt, pepper and paprika. Cook on medium-low heat until butter has melted and oysters float and edges are curled. Ladle into bowl and garnish with parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.

Wine served: 2009 Domaine Collote, Marsannay

This unbelievably easy and deep flavored recipe is from Food and Wine magazine.

Ingredients

1 cup drained piquillo peppers (8 ounces), 1/4 cup cut into thin strips
3/4 cup hummus (7 ounces)
2 cups chicken or beef stock
1/2 cup cook white rice
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Olive oil and hot sauce, for serving

In a blender or a food processor (I used a bowl and immersion blender), combine the whole piquillos with the hummus and stock and puree until smooth. Transfer the soup to medium saucepan. Add rice and chicken, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the parsley, sliced piquillos, olive oil and hot sauce.

OK….we fell for it! One night we saw an infomercial for the Perfect Tortilla pan. Looked like a great idea, but when I went online to check it out, found it to be, in my opinion, overpriced (shipping ends up being more than the pans). So, the other afternoon, Sandy came back with a huge smile on her face. Guess what she found at CVS in the “as seen on tv isle”? The Perfect Tortilla pans. No shipping costs!

We love them! We are calling them our “leftovers” tortilla pans.
Get yourselves the pans, a pack of 8″ or 10″ tortillas (we used 8″ and they go to the top of the pans), line the baked bottoms with shredded lettuce (we used romaine) then pile in the goodies. We used leftover roasted veggies, shredded leftover chicken, ripe avocadoes, leftover salsa from the farmers market and sour cream.
Later on, Sandy filled one with vanilla frozen yogurt and dusted it with cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!