Roasted Butternut Squash Seafood Bisque

1 medium butternut squash ½ teaspoon dried thyme olive oil 2 shallots 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped ½ teaspoon butter 1 15-ounce can chicken broth ⅓ cup apple cider 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

⅓ teaspoon ground white pepper ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup half and half 12 bay scallops 12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 teaspoon chopped garlic Ground red pepper Chives bunch, snipped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel squash and scoop out seeds. Cut into pieces no bigger than 2 inches. Place squash pieces in a 9-by-11-inch baking dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until coated. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until tender, turning a few times. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add apple pieces and cook two minutes; add cider and dried cranberries. Cook apples until they can be mashed easily, about five minutes.

Puree squash and apples in a food processor until smooth. Pour mixture into saucepan; add ½ can of chicken broth, salt and pepper, and simmer. Add more chicken broth as needed to thin soup.

Place scallops, shrimp, and garlic in a bowl, season with salt and ground red pepper, and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat a griddle pan to grill scallops and shrimp until cooked thoroughly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Put scallops and shrimp into soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in half and half and continue simmering for another 5 minutes. Serve in bowls; snip chives on top of each. Serves four; each serving should have three scallops and shrimp. Soup can be made ahead of time, without the seafood and refrigerated in a covered container.

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries, washed and picked over to remove overripe berries 1 cinnamon stick 6 whole cloves 6 pieces allspice ½ cup orange juice ½ cup water 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons brandy

Place all ingredients except brandy in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until berries pop. Reduce heat to simmer and continue cooking until sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add brandy. Cranberry sauce may be made ahead of time and refrigerated in covered plastic container.

Dried Fruit and Nuts Turkey Stuffing

As children, my brother and sisters and I would tear up the bread while watching the Thanksgiving Macy’s Day parade. This recipe is for a 12-pound turkey.

2 tablespoons butter 1 bag stale French or Italian bread,     torn into bite-size pieces 2 stocks celery 1 medium onion ½ to 1 cup turkey stock or chicken broth 1 egg, slightly beaten

1½ teaspoons poultry seasoning ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ⅓ cup raisins ¼ cup chopped apricot width="10px"s ¼ cup other dried fruit (optional) ¼ cup chopped nuts

Melt butter in a large pot. Sauté onion and celery until tender. Add salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning. Remove pan from heat and add bread pieces, season with remaining poultry seasoning, and toss until well mixed. Add more poultry seasoning, if desired, for taste. Add raisins, apricots, or other dried fruits and nuts. Mix well. Let mixture cool slightly before adding egg. Mix ½ cup turkey stock or chicken broth with egg. Slowly add to bread mixture and mix. Continue adding liquid until bread is moist but not wet. (You may not need a full cup; depends on dryness of bread.) Place stuffing into both ends of turkey cavity. When the cavity is filled, seal with an “end” piece of bread to keep the stuffing in place. Cook turkey according to directions. Any remaining stuffing can be baked in a separate casserole dish in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.

Gravy Tips

Remove the turkey from the roasting pan. If you have a stovetop with a bridge burner, place the roasting pan on the bridge over medium-high heat to reduce the drippings in the pan. Otherwise, transfer the drippings to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the drippings are a rich brown color, about 20 minutes. As the drippings cook down, the flavor intensifies.

In a separate saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 5 tablespoons of flour to make a paste. Cook the paste for a few minutes; continue stirring to prevent the paste from burning. Slowly add the reduced drippings from the turkey, whisking the entire time to prevent lumps from forming. If you cooked the turkey giblets and neck, slowly add the broth to the gravy and cook on medium heat to thicken. Canned turkey or chicken broth can be substituted. Approximately 5 cups of liquid can be added to create the gravy, based on the butter flour measurement; depends on how thick you prefer the gravy. If it is too thin, let the gravy boil lightly to reduce. Continue simmering until ready to serve.