I make my Mother's! Sausage with Bell's seasoning! Has to be Bell's and Jimmy Dean sausage. I stuff the bird.
What kind of stuffing do you make?
Sausage stuffing is really good. I have to admit, I've not made it though. I also like cornbread stuffing, but haven't made it either. I prefer a vegetable stuffing and I always do my stuffing in a separate pan. I'd take the "stuffed and ruffled" blooms above anytime over traditional stuffing though. Very pretty.
Mom always pureed the turkey's giblets with egg, broth (made from simmering the neck), and melted butter. She also browned ground beef AND pork sausage, added all the above to chopped celery & onion, herbs/spices, and any pre-packaged bread cubes. There was always way too much to fit into the bird so the rest was baked in pyrex bowls with foil on top and a few extra pats of butter for moistness. As an adult, I'm wheat intolerant and can't eat stuffing at all! So I'll take the "stuffed" blossoms, too.
Cornbread 'stuffing' with celery and onions, sage, turkey stock from the roast pan and cooked in it's own pan. We don't stuff the bird, so we call it 'dressing'. I'm making Mama's recipe this year (I've taken on the role of hostess) and we'll just see how it turns out.
So that is the difference between dressing and stuffing Linda! I never thoguht about that!
Brugie what is vegetable stuffing? I have never heard of that. Sounds so healthy!
Eileen, can't you use rice instead of bread? A friend of mine makes a potato stuffing.
I wonder if in most households which stuffing is made more, the husband's mother's or the wife's mother's stuffing? In mine, Tom never had a chance. I used to do all the cooking when we were first married and now that he does most of it, I still make the stuffing every year. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my Mother's recipe.
I do what my Mom always did, Sage, and onion stuffing
Ihughes, I make mine like yours. It must be a Southern thing. It's been passed down in my family for years. The only difference is that I use 1/3 biscuits to 2/3 cornbread.
Well, I always made it like my mother with the fresh bread, torn not cut 2 days before, celery, onions and parsley...and seasoning, yes it must be Bell brand. And then added what my DH mother always did and that is sausage-Jimmy Dean.
I have to admit though, this year I am going the simple way and making stove top with added sausage. The times I stuff the turkey the dressing is sometimes too moist and the ones along side in the pans were too dry.
Both my DH and daughter who will be coming for dinner said that they like the mix too!! So the mix they will get!
To my defense though, I am making my own cranberry-pecans breads and apple pie! :-)
Hope no one thinks any less of me! ;-(
I make an oyster stuffing...pretty darn good if I say so myself.. :)
speaking of stuffing... I do like the stuffing in your picture
I made up my own one year based on a couple of stuffings/dressings I like:
I use dried ciabatta (or sourdough) croutons, a cup of wild rice and a cup of brown rice---the the broth from the neck, giblets etc, sage, sliced waterchestnuts (gives it some crunch) lots of chopped celery and onions, toasted pinenuts and sometimes raisins. It is very light.
Stovetop.......
kell, Yes my mother now makes a rice "stuffing" which doesn't get stuffed into the bird, for my sister & I who both can't do wheat. It has become fairly popular with the rest of the family, actually.
Now that I've read some other ideas, I want to look up oyster and potato dressings too. Maybe some of the recipes should be posted in the recipe forum!
Gosh, everyone's sounds good but CC's. LOL CC! Do you doctor it up a bit? You could make it like Margie does with all that home made bread you are making!
Hey Miss Munché, how do you make your oyster stuffing? We love oysters! We get them fresh from an oyster farm not to far from here, Sweetwater Oysters from Hog Island. YUM YUM.
Kell, I make a basic bread stuffing with lots of meat and broth, but I add tons of grated or shaved carrots, onions, celery, green pepper (not as much of this) and I've even added broccoli and cauliflower. I hold back on the sage because it doesn't agree with me. It's pretty too.
LOL me too CC Stovetop!
Brugie -- yours sounds good! I grew up on and continue to make what appears to be the Southern "dressing": cornbread, onion, celery, sage, salt and pepper, and then smothered in homade giblet gravy once served. Yummy! That and Scalloped Oysters are my two most favorite Thanksgiving dishes!!!
When I get real creative the Stovetop goes in a REAL pretty bowl......
I use pepperide farms bread crumbs, sausage (jimmy dean or not), corn, lots of sage,salt & pepper, celery, and green onions.
I usually make enough to stuff the bird and to also have a pan on the side.
Forgot to add that for the water i use a mix of water, chicken broth and the reserved corn juice.
This message was edited Nov 24, 2004 8:04 PM
minigrannie, I forgot that Mama said "add some light bread 'til it looks right'". It's probably 1/4, 3/4. I've been busy all day making preps. I'm trying something new (for me) that I saw on tv today, brining the turkey. The ole boy is in my stock pot soaking in salt water brine in the fridge over night. It's supposed to make it realy crunchy on the outside. (we'll see) aren't families great, you can try all kind of new things on them.
I know someone,for some reason I think it was Mavie ,had a recipie and directions for brining a few years ago
I'm a stove top gal too. Nice picture kell.
Mmmmm...craving stuffing here! I'm not a big turkey fan, but I do love stuffing. My DH makes oyster stuffing. Whatever bread type you like with the sauteed onions, celery, sage, etc. and some stock made from the giblets. He uses a few jars of fresh oysters from the fish market and chops them a bit. Yummyy!!
It must be a southern thing for sure! Cornbread stuffing, sage, onion, celery, a few boiled eggs. Yum yum!
peppridge farm for me for years (no other brand tastes as good), then I doctor it up with onions and celery. When I do the turkey, I use the cooked innards too. This year my DIL is doing her first turkey - deep frying it. Hope we don't have to call out the fire department!!
Oooohhh Sarv -- you will love the deep fried turkey. I have had it several times and its quite good!
Forgot to add that my stuffing also has lots of melted REAL butter...
I am getting so hungry! Tom just put his in the oven. He brined it! It is a work of art. He used a recipe in the newspaper. He won't let me stuff his bird. I think he has declared war. LOL My first ever stuffedless turkey and turkeyless stuffing!!
Well, how was it, Kell?
We haven't even started yet. It is 4PM here. My husband's recipe turns out to be a very involved one. LOL.
He even made turkey stock yesterday for something . I dare not ask. I just started on the wine. LOL
I tried using my new camera. Disaster. I took 2 aspirin because I got chest pain over it. The battery I have devoted 2 days to was not even charged right. No one told me in this set up the light has to be green not red. LOL. I can't even figure out the Master Olympus program. I may have to get another Canon so I can use Zoombrowser forever.
My DH refuses to help me anymore. He said I was not only ineducable but the only thing that outdid my technical stupidity was my nastiness.
So I put it away and we are all nice nice now. I best not touch it again till after Saturday, our 28th anniversary! Or I will be celebrating all alone.
Oh, bless your heart! If I can help you in any way with your new camera, I'll try to! I have a feeling that they might be somewhat similar (our cameras). I was able to help another wonderful member here with her camera last year...
In the meantime, enjoy your glass of wine and the fact that your husband is cooking the turkey... Happy Thanksgiving, Kelley!
I use the traditional cornbread stuffing, but sometimes add the oysters. A nice variation on the sausage stuffing is to use ground SMOKED sausage. I also roast, peel and slice chestnuts and add them sometimes.
Jimmy Dean is a good choice because it is lower in pork fat.
The difference between stuffing and dressing, is stuffing is IN the bird and dressing is in a pan.
Kell, lay off CC, stovetop ain't bad if you don't have to cook it!! My hubby does the cooking, along with his momma, almost 92, we board in her house. My 80 year aunt lives next door and, my daddy lived in our guesthouse, until he left recently , at 89, ten days before his 90th b-day. Our family ended up with a hodge podge of traditions and we tossed them all in, together, and it's amazing how everything has turned out so nicely. I will say that cornbread dressing with poultry seasoning is the BEST, whew, with whole cranberry sauce, straight outta the can, which, IMO, is the very best...I hope all of you had a wonderful day!!!
HELP! I have eaten & I can't get up!!!
We even ate early 3:30 & I'm still stuffed. I didn't think I took that much!
I Use Peppridge Farms seasoned cubes, I added JD sausage cooked with the onions celery & garlic. I use chicken broth & put a bit of the gibblets in. I "brined" the bird over night in 4 cans of beer. Drained & stuffed it.
This is the second year I did the beer thing, it was very moist & tender. (again)
I have a Cashew pie, Pumpkin pie & Pumpkin cheesecake just waiting to be sampled. Maybe for breakfast!
The pic is lovely!
There is a show on PBS called America's Test Kitchen. It's where I first learned to soak a turkey in a brine (just water and salt in this case) and then roast it upside down. It really adds to the moistness, especially with the white meat.
That show is great and you learn the best tips. They try each item they cook several ways to find the best and then present that.
Tom used Wolfgang Puck's recipe for brining. I have to laugh because we are going to Spagos for dinner tomorrow night. Adn I won't be ordering turkey if it is on the menu! LOL
I must say it was tender, almost too tender. And his gravy did not taste like turkey gravy! Both excellent but not good old fashion turkey and gravy! Don't tell my DH I said this. He was thrilled with his masterpiece! LOL
I was trying to find this thread, never remembered to look in the brug forum. America's test kitchen has a website, I think it's www.americastestkitchen.com
but not sure it's .com, could be .org. I went to register and had trouble with the name of my town, so I had to e-mail them. They had a recommendation for a pepper mill and I want to get spousal unit a new one for Christmas. Recommending kitchen products is another part of their website.
My brother bought half a bag of oysters for Thanksgiving.. I oyster rockefeller lots of them and some went into the stuffing.. the rest I will make oyster stew with. Since our hurricanes it is not safe to eat them raw right now.. so... we gotta cook em.
Oyster Stuffing.... ala MzMunchie
3 cups of shucked oysters with some juice
8 tablespoons butter
old french bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 4-6 cups)
3 shallots, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 pound of bacon finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley
1/2 cup of white wine
Betty, my husband watches that show though Good Eats beats out America's Test Kitchen by just a very little bit! He watches and I get to eat it all. He got his brining recipe on Good Eats.
Ms. Munché, maybe we will have to have to have a turkey again for Christmas just to try your recipe! Sounds incredible. Brugie likes Oyster Stew too, I am definitely going to have that Christmas!
I found a link at America's Test Kitchen to Amazon and bought the Oxo pepper grinder there. It was on sale at half the retail price!!