Stuff It!

[snowangel00]

There are many different recipes for stuffing. I usually stick to the traditional recipe for stuffing - but am thinking about making at least 2 other stuffing dishes just to add something new to my table.

I know there are many fantastic cooks here - so share some of your favorite stuffing recipes.

 

[aggy]

I make a great crab stuffing (at least my family loves it :turkey: )

Crab Stuffing

Enough for a 14 to 15 pound turkey (may need to adjust ingredients for larger birds).


Ingredients

1 lb bread, including crusts (10 cups packed and cubed)
1 can of lump crab meat
4-8 tablespoons butter
1 cup celery, finely chopped
2 cups onions, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minched (I use dried parsley)
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 cup chicken stock
2 large eggs, well beaten (optional)
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (Here in Maryland it's a popular seasoning. I use a little for flavor. You don't have to use this if you don't want to.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400, and toast the bread until golden brown on the middle of the rack. Turn into a large bowl.

Meanwhile in a skillet melt butter, add celery and onions and sautee until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the spices.

Next stir in bread cubes, and drained crabmeat. Toss well until the stuffing is moist, but not packed together.

Stir in the stock and eggs, put in bird while moist, remoisten and adjust spices as necessary.

note: If cooked in casserole dish, bake at 350 until heated through with a crust on the outsides, 25 to 40 min.

I bake my stuffing in a dish then stuff my bird at least a 1/2 hour - 45 min before it's time to remove bird from the oven so that the stuffing gets some of the juices which really makes it taste 'o so good'. :turkey:

I've also used cornbread mix to make this dressing and the results are the same - DELICIOUS!!

 

[aggy]

If crab meat isn't your thing, try it with oysters. My cousin makes her stuffing with oysters.

 

[coffeenut]

:turkey: I love crab. I will copy this and see if I can convince my sister to try it :sleigh:

 

[Little Elf]

I cheat...I use Stovetop stuffing. LOL! But I do cut up an apple and throw it in.

 

[Cathymac]

I make southern style cornbread dressing. I'll have to hunt my recipe...I don't use it, just put some stuff together and have no idea what measurements to put in. Also, I make a huge pan of it...so I need to check on how to make a normal amount. It's worth the effort...it's very good! :turkey:

 

[3-Little-Elves]

I cheat...I use Stovetop stuffing.

That is too funny--so do we. We usually have a deep fried turkey so we just make stove top. My dh can't stand it. He wants real stuffing.

 

[christmascreations]

CEO posted a recipe for a Grogonzola Dressing recipe last year. My computer "crashed" before my laptop arrived in the mail so I don't have it. Maybe we can convince her to repost her link to it or copy it for us...hehe

 

[jackfrosty]

Here's a question(I'm not a cook!)-Do you make your stuffing strictly to stuff the Turkey or do you opt for"dressing" in a seperate dish? :turkey:

 

[Jadyne]

jackfrosty, we do both. Mainly because there just isn't enough from the bird to go around . But the benefit is it gives us an opportunity to try more recipes. DH and I like this one very much.

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

2 loaves of bread- cut in cubes and dried out overnight.
1 pound sausage- fried, drained and crumbled
3 apples- cut in small pieces
1 large onion- finely chopped
1/2 cup walnut pieces

Toss all the above with a mix of:

1 stick melted butter
3 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon of ground Sage
salt and pepper to taste

Finally add 1 quart chicken broth, more or less, until stuffing is moist, but not soggy. Bake at 325 for 1- 1 1/4 hours or until golden brown. Pan drippings may be added to the top before the last 1/2 hour of baking if you aren't using it to stuff a bird. If you want a lot of very crispy pieces, do it in a shalow pan. If you want it denser and softer, do it in a deep casserole pan. Enjoy!

 

[snowangel00]

JackFrosty - We do both as well.

I find that the stuffing I make to place inside the turkey while cooking is not enough to feed everyone.

After the turkey is done I will take the stuffing out and place it in a dish to bake it a little longer. We enjoy having it a tad crisp.

I also make an additional dish of stuffing to go along with this.

ilgrim:

 

[christmascreations]

I make the stuffing on the side only ever since there were concerns of eating stuffing from the bird. I stuff my bird with onion, celery, carrots, and an apple cut in half and then seasonings of choice. I made it that way last year and let me tell you the drippings for the gravy were wonderful. The gravy was incredible. I plan on doing that again this year.

 

[snowangel00]

Christmascreations - do you have a specific recipe with amounts and such for what you put inside of the bird or do you just guesstimate whatever fits for the particular turkey?

We always cook the stuffing (from inside the turkey) to prevent any concerns of what may not be done.

It always turns out wonderful and haven't had any troubles. ilgrim:

 

[christmascreations]

For the most part you can guesstimate I think I :

quartered a small-medium onion
a couple of celery stalks cut about the length of celery sticks
a handful of baby carrots
and a granny smith apple
then I sprinkled some everglades seasoning, salt and pepper!!!

It definitely helped flavor the drippings perfectly for the gravy (especially the apple)!!!

Of course after the turkey has completely cooked DISCARD all the veggies and apple-DO NOT EAT THEM!!!!

It was a recipe that CEO linked us to last year for Thanksgiving

 

[snowangel00]

Sounds VERY yummy!

Thank you for sharing this with us, again. :friendly:

 

[christmascreations]

Always a pleasure to share with the MHH family

 

[HouseElf]

Sounds so yummy. I am not very adventurous... gluten free stuffing is hard to make. I have not got it right yet :sad:

 

[purplecrush]

I also just use Stovetop stuffing LOL its easy and its good! Im afraid of trying new things, but I just might have to try something new this year!


:bigsnow:

 

[Cathymac]

Ok, here's the cornbread dressing recipe that I use. I think quantities are right...but it's ok to fudge a little! Sometimes I use a little more seasoning if it looks, tastes or smells like it needs it!!! I usually double or triple this, so my quantities may be a tad off!

1 pan of cornbread (recipe follows)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 eggs
1 qt. chicken or turkey stock
2 t. sage
2 T. poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake and cool the cornbread, then finely crumble in a large bowl. Set aside.
While the cornbread is cooling, melt the butter in a skillet and add celery and onions, saute until tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Pour the sauted vegetables into the crumbled cornbread. Add eggs, stock and seasonings. Mix well (I use my clean hands...). Pour into a greased 9X13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes-1 hour, until the top is crispy and golden. Serve with sliced turkey or chicken.

Cornbread
2 cups self rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 T. oil
Mix together, pour into a greased baking dish-I use a round iron skillet, but you could use an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan, and bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes, until golden.

That's it, I think. This is from memory!! Hope you enjoy it! :turkey:

 

[oimom]

I use my grandmother's corn bread dressing .It's easy and delicious.

cornbread dressing:

cornbread
2 eggs
sage to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
broth from Turkey
1C celery chopped
1C chopped onion
loaf bread/biscuts


Bake at 400 degrees until onion and celery are done 30 to 45 mins
If there's no turkey broth boil neck and liver to use in place of broth.
I make 2 cornbreads from Martha white cotton pickin cornbread mix tastes just like my grandmothers homemade) The bread and biscuts she used for extra bread.if needed.I just use cornbreads.