How To Make the Lighter Oyster dish Version

Last week's oyster casserole was rich with butter and cream, and as Henriette den Ouden of Habanera Farm in Tyaskin pointed out, it wasn't for everyone.

"Many people on the Eastern Shore are staying away from butter and cream due to cholesterol issues," wrote the herbalist and cooking coach. "This is why I am sending you the recipe we have been using for years and we share with our clients. It is basically oysters, with the addition of some vegetables and some spice."

Here's the oyster recipe from Habanera Farm.

Oysters In The Oven

One pint of oysters

One medium-sized onion, cut in small pieces

One celery stem, sliced

One clove garlic, finely cut in small pieces

Three small carrots (or one big one), sliced

One-half tablespoon olive oil

One-quarter teaspoon pepper

One-half cup white wine (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain the moisture from the oysters into a cup; you might want to use this later. Butter a

2-quart Pyrex or oven-safe dish and add the oysters, without the juice. Saute the onion in olive oil until it looks like glass (and tastes kind of sweet). Add the garlic, celery stem and carrots, and add pepper to taste (at least one-quarter teaspoon.) Saute for three minutes. Add one-half cup white wine if you want, use the oyster juice or combine both, and simmer for one minute until all is hot.

Add the sauce on top of the oysters. Sprinkle with bread crumbs so that the surface is covered with a thick layer, then sprinkle a little cheese if you want (please not much -- we are eating oysters and not cheese.) Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. It should bubble on the sides.

Eat this with bread, or create an oyster wrap with toasted whole wheat tortillas.

A pineapple treat. This little gem of a cookie recipe had been sitting undiscovered in my cookbook collection since 1993, the year Pillsbury put out the cookbooklet "Holiday Classic XII: Over 100 Recipes & Ideas." These are absolutely delicious!