Cook first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat 12 minutes or until onion and celery are tender. Add vermouth, and simmer 1 minute. Add oysters.

Whisk together flour and clam juice in a small bowl; whisk into soup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 1 minute or until oyster edges begin to curl. Reduce heat to medium-low; add half-and-half and next 4 ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated. (Do not boil.) Serve with Rosemary Croutons.

Fix it Faster: Use prechopped fresh celery and onion that's now available in most grocery store produce departments.

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place pork in a large zip-top freezer bag; add cider mixture. Seal bag, and chill 24 hours.

Remove pork from brine, and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning meat occasionally. Place pork on a rack in a lightly greased shallow roasting pan.

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Remove from oven; cover and let rest 10 minutes or until thermometer reaches 160° before slicing. Serve with Chestnut and Red Cabbage Sauté.

Microwave squash on HIGH 2 minutes to soften. Cut in half. Peel squash; remove and discard seeds. Cut squash into 1" squares.

Cook squash in water in a large Dutch oven 30 minutes or until tender; drain.

Combine squash, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons syrup, maple flavoring, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; mash with a potato masher until smooth.

Cook pecans, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium skillet over medium-low heat 7 minutes or until syrup caramelizes and pecans begin to brown; cool in a single layer on a plate.

Sprinkle pecans over squash. Serve warm.

Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish, and set aside.

Stir together lima beans and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; spoon into prepared dish.

Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; stir and bake 30 more minutes or until bubbly and browned. Serve with a slotted spoon, if desired. Beans will thicken as they begin to cool.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add apple, and sauté 3 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat shortening in a 9" cast-iron skillet in oven 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together cornmeal and next 3 ingredients. Whisk together milk and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter. Add sautéed apple and cheese, stirring just until combined.

Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden. Cut into wedges.

Combine water and rice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan. Stir seeds, pod, sugar, half-and-half, and salt into rice. Cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes, stirring often. Remove vanilla bean pod. Add white chocolate morsels, stirring until melted. Let cool 5 minutes. Spoon rice pudding into 8 individual serving dishes. If not serving immediately, cover and chill. When ready to serve, top with Dried Cherry Sauce, and sprinkle with almonds.