The turkey is served; could you please pass the stuffing?

Sometimes networking pays off. For some, it comes as a sales lead or prospective client; for me, it's a nifty column idea or recipe.

Several weeks ago, I sat down next to Lynda Messman of BorMan Construction at the weekly business meeting of the South Shore Business Association.

As she and I struck up a conversation, she confided in me that this Thanksgiving was going to be different. Instead of her usual 41 guests, she was expecting only 37.

"You've got to be kidding," I thought. "Only 37?"

Intrigued, I wanted to know more.

Lynda's Thanksgiving Day meal is unusual. Her family and friends are invited to bring a beverage, big appetite and to accept a pre-assigned task. They come armed with nothing prepared.

Lynda's daughter, Melissa, and her sister-in-law Karen Boraiko start planning the event in late August. Just before Thanksgiving, the family arrives as early as Sunday to make a week out of the annual affair. They swim, fish and boat the first few days, then Wednesday start preparing for the feast.

Starting as young as age two, the children in the family bake pies with Lynda on Wednesday. Newbies are taught to make pumpkin pie because it's easy. Once past the novice stage, the older kids choose what they want to make. Each pie is labeled with its type and the name of the child who made it.

"They are always so proud of their pies," Lynda said.

Come Thursday, organized chaos ensues. Everyone pitches in to prepare three kinds of turkey - rotisserie roasted, deep fried and baked - plus all the fixings. The trick, Linda said, is effective delegation.

The family and guests dine on tables strung together on the lanai and set by the children. To accommodate vegetarians in the group, two types of green bean casseroles and dressings are prepared.

Lynda's father, Carl Boraiko, prepares the famous sage stuffing he has made every Thanksgiving for 58 years. It's a tradition he's passing to his grandson, Trey, and it's always a favorite part of dinner.

CARL BORAIKO'S SAGE STUFFING

1 20- to 24-ound turkey

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

20 cups dried bread cubes

2 packages of coarsely broken, not crushed, saltine crackers

1 teaspoon salt

2 dashes thyme

2 dashes of pepper

11/2 ounces rubbed sage

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Allow approximately 11/2 loaves of white bread to dry at room temperature overnight or place in a warm oven for a couple of hours before cubing.

Place celery in a skillet with 1/2 cup of bacon grease, oil or butter and saute until almost tender. Add onion and saute until slightly soft.

Mix bread with all dry ingredients. Add celery and onion; do not drain. Mix by hand and sprinkle with water until dressing becomes moist and starts to hold together. Set aside until you are ready to stuff the turkey.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com. For more of her recipes, visit southshore.tbo.com and enter the search words Lynn Kessel or look for her blog at www.lynnkessel.blogspot.com.