Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing ideas

I don't have a written recipe, but I'll try.

2 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix, mixed to the package directions

Add to this 1 medium onion chopped fairly small and the top 2/3 of a bunch of celery, also chopped small.

Good quality rubbed sage to taste, 2-3 tbls.

You may need a little extra milk, but not a lot, the batter should be fairly thick.

Bake at 400.

When it's done and cooled some, dump it into a large mixing bowl, then add low sodium, no msg Swanson chicken broth, (2-3 cans, enough to make it fairly moist/wet +any turkey pan drippings/giblets you like) and one sack of prepared cubed stuffing mix (not Stove Top).

Mix it all up and bake at 350.

Favorite Bread Stuffing

We usually put this in the oven after taking out the turkey. It can heat in the oven while the turkey is resting. This is so delicious!

I leave the cubed day old bread out over night in order to dry a little. If you live in a very humid climate, that may not work. Dry slightly in oven.

Ingredients:

12 cups day old good quality bread, cubed (white bread, or half white and half whole wheat)

(Cut bread in fairly small cubes and put on a couple cookie sheets, covered loosely with wax paper, and let set overnight on kitchen counter to get a little dry, or very lightly dry in a warm oven.)

2 cups chopped onion

3 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoon sage (or more, to taste)

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cook onion, celery, and parsley in butter until onion is tender but not brown. Add spices to butter mixture and stir.

2. Add butter mixture to bread cubes in a large casserole or baking pan or roaster, and toss well.

3. Bake at 350 degrees until hot, maybe 20-30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if it begins to brown too much.

Thank you so much for those quick replies.

You are so welcome!

This is listed as a slow cooker recipe from allrecipes dot com, but directions are included for baking in the oven. Just a simple bread stuffing I do every year in the crock pot. Depending on how much broth you use, it's moist or crunchy.

Edit: For some reason I cannot link and allrecipes doesn't copy well. If interested, go to allrecipes dot com and search for Slow Cooker Stuffing Recipe (by Gayle Wagner)

Foolproof? Pretty much a method--change proportions as you see fit and as you decide how many to serve. Sort of eyeball how much cornbread you need for your baking dish. We sauté a good amount of onions and celery in a little butter, add some Italian seasoning (whatever you like--poultry seasoning, more sage, etc.) and then mix this with some crumbled cornbread.

Sometimes we add browned sausage, mushrooms, or whatever we are in the mood for. Slivered almonds are good too. Dried cranberries are good as well. We've added all kinds of things over the years!

We mix a can or two of Campbell's "healthier" soups with chicken or turkey broth (home made before the day on a good year), add a tablespoon or two of dried sherry, and pour this mixture over the top of the dressing in a baking dish.

We put this in the oven and bake until hot and bubbly and browned on top. I have never seen anyone turn it down, say it wasn't good, or prove that point by eating a LOT of it! We like a drier dressing than some, and it soaks up gravy really well!

If you are a bread crumb person, you can use that as well as cornbread or mix. We DO NOT use eggs and this dressing is fine without it. Make it ahead and freeze, make the dry and wet ingredients the night before, or put the whole thing together the night before. It is pretty much bullet proof!

Ester has used this method for years .It is a wonderful dish. Her Turkey is always so dry.

Bless her heart we compliment her each year anyway.

Chopped, toasted pecans add a little crunch. So does chopped apple. Granny Smith for a little tart flavor.

Use good stale breads. Add a few cubed slices of pumpernickle or rye to make a heartier stuffing. I always like a bit of french or italian bread or rolls. Adds a little more chew.

While you don't want any meats in yours, for those that do you can use browned sausages that are mild like Italian breakfast sausage, or a savory roll sausage like Jimmy Dean's or Bob Evans Sage sausages. Brown before adding to your bread cubes and saute your onions/mushrooms in a bit of the sausage fat.

I had a friend who would make traditional Hungarian stuffing with only breads, seasoning and very heavy with eggs & milk. Mild tasting, very moist, very heavy.

My recipe probably wouldn't be popular here because it's not super quick and uncomplicated, but one facet of it, IMO, is a very nice touch -

I like to make it in a casserole dish in the oven as a stand-alone dish.

I like to make my own croutons out of sourdough bread. I just cut it into small squares (I like fresh bread, though, as stale bread doesn't appeal to me - I'm too food-neurotic for that. hehe). Then I take a large zip lock baggie (the gallon size) and put some olive oil in it and the herbs. I pour the bread cubes into the bag and, leaving as much air in the bag as possible, I zip it up. Then I shake it between my hands to get the oil and herbs mixed well with the bread.

Dump them out onto a large baking sheet and I like to hit it with a little s&p. I find that s&p don't mix up as well in a bag as the herbs, so I add it on the baking sheet to make sure it's evenly distributed.

Toast it in the oven and then just let it cool completely before putting it into a bowl to use. Lately, since I have to stretch the TG cooking out to 3 or 4 days, I make it the day before I'm going to use them. After they are COMPLETELY cool, I put them into a Lock & Lock bowl and seal it up for the next day.

They are very flavorful and add a nice touch to the recipe. Plus, toasting them makes them hold up well and not become mushy in the dish.