Corn bread and sausage stuffing

This is my family's stuffing recipe. I know Thanksgiving is far away, but I just made it for C.J.'s birthday last week and thought I'd share. It's never too early to start thinking about turkey day, right?

• One batch of cornbread (I have used Jiffy and it's good, but I prefer a non-sweet mix or recipe)
• An equal amount of bread (I like to use whole wheat or something more "rustic" than plain white bread)
• One pound of pork sausage fully cooked, drained, and crumbled (sage preferred)
• Fresh celery and onion, diced
• Sage (if not in the sausage already), poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste (you can play around with the seasonings - I don't have poultry seasoning so I don't add it)
• Chicken stock for liquid

In a large bowl, after the cornbread cools, crumble it into small pieces. Add an equal amount of bread cut up or torn apart to approximately the same size. Then mix in the sausage, vegetables, and seasoning. Then add enough of the chicken stock to the dressing to moisten it. Be careful not to add too much liquid or it will get mushy.

Bake in a covered oven dish at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. If you want the top browned you can take the lid off for the last few minutes of cooking.

Grilled wahoo

We used this recipe to cook up the wahoo we had left over from last year's fishing trip. It was so delicious, I would try it on any fish. And I recommend grilling if possible - it really adds flavor.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 fresh garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tablespoons Cajun seafood seasoning
1 lemon, juice of
6 wahoo fillets, about 1/2 inch thick
lemon wedge (to garnish)

Directions

Spray grill with nonstick spray or brush with veggie oil to prevent sticking. Preheat on high for about 10 minutes. Mix first six ingredients in a blender. Puree into a smooth sauce. When ready to cook, brush both sides of fillets with sauce. Place fillets on grill and cook, turning once or twice. Brush more sauce as needed.Fish is done when it flakes easily (about 5 minutes). Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes: I used a tsp of dried parsley instead of fresh and a little less garlic than called for. I used Old Bay seasoning instead of cajun seasoning. I let the fish sit in the marinade before grilling. Careful to not overcook the fish. It doesn't take long.

Home fries

I make these occasionally for breakfast. Frozen hash browns are easier and faster, but there is nothing like the homemade version. If you have the time, they are worth it.

Cube as many potatoes as you think you will need. For two adults I usually cube about 5 small-to-medium sized potatoes and that may result in some leftover. Depends on potato size.

Cook potatoes in the microwave to soften them up. Five to 10 minutes depending on how many potatoes you have. Could cook longer if you want this process to be faster. Meanwhile, dice an onion. Bell pepper too if you have one.

Throw vegetables in a pan with a little oil to coat. Add generous amounts of season salt (I love Lawry's Season Salt but it is hard to find in Grenada - generic version will do).

Stir occasionally until potatoes brown and are soft. About 20 minutes. Sample potatoes if you are not sure.

Cowboy cavier

While avocados are in season in Grenada, this makes a fantastic dish. A crowd pleaser at any occasion. It's like a fancy, fresh, tasty variation on salsa but hardier because it has beans in it. I made it once and then made it again just a few days later because I was craving it.

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 firm-ripe avocado (about 10 oz.)
1 can (15 oz.) black-eyed peas
1 can (11 oz.) corn kernels
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 pound Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt

1 bag (6 oz.) tortilla chips or 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper. Peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.

2. Drain and rinse peas and corn. Add peas, corn, onions, cilantro, and tomatoes to avocado; mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste. Serve pea mixture with chips as an appetizer, or add cabbage and mix to make a salad.


I served with chips, not cabbage. If cilantro isn't available that's o.k., it still tastes great. I mixed everything together in one bowl, skipping the two-step process, and it turned out fine.

Fish cakes

C.J. went on a fishing trip and came back with a 25-pound Wahoo. I cooked up a huge portion of it, and we ate some of it one night as fillets. Dreading five more days of fish fillets, I found this recipe for the cooked fish leftovers. It was delicious!! Since the fish was already cooked it was not such a hard process - just mix and fry in the pan.


4 to 5 med. size (or 2 lbs. raw meat) fresh trout
1/4 c. diced onion
1/2 c. salad dressing
2 eggs
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Seafood seasoning
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Season salt
1 c. bread crumbs
2 c. Italian bread crumbs

Pan fry trout for 6 minutes each side or until flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat, cool. Remove skin and de-bone. Add remaining ingredients except Italian bread crumbs. Mix well. Shape into 3 inch round patties. Roll in Italian bread crumbs.

Fish cakes can be baked in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or pan fried until golden brown. Fish cakes can be frozen (unbaked or fried) for 6 months.

Makes 12 fish cakes.

I used Wahoo instead of trout, obviously. And cajun seasoning instead of seafood seasoning. And I used Italian bread crumbs inside and for the outside coating (although didn't need a whole two cups for outside coating). And I fried them in a little oil.

Breakfast casserole

I cooked this casserole today and it turned out great. It fed seven people with a little left over so it's perfect for a crowd and was easy to whip up.


INGREDIENTS
1 pound pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
10 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup chopped bell pepper (optional)
Dash of salt and pepepr

DIRECTIONS
Brown sausage and bell pepper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough, and sprinkle with crumbled sausage and peppers. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: After 30 minutes of baking there was liquid on the top of the casserole still so I baked a little longer, almost 40 minutes. Even after 40 minutes there was still some liquid but layer of dough on the bottom was brown so I took it out. A knife came out clean and after sitting a few minutes the liquid dried off. So, I should have taken it out sooner just as the recipe said. Don't be fooled by a little liquid on top.