Dressing/Stuffing, whatever you call it.

[TonyB06]

Hey, can we get some recipes up in this piece?

And whether it be dressing/stuffing, I don't eat it if it's smothered in gravy. Gravy, like cocaine, has no place on this earth.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

The only thing that I really care about at Thanksgiving is dressing.

Originally Posted by honeychile

Dressing is always my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.

Ditto. I actually don't care for turkey at all -- I don't hate it, but I'd much rather have ham or pork tenderloin or roast beef or just about any other meat I can think of on Thanksgiving. And yes, dressing goes perfectly well with ham.

But when I was growing up, we would often go with my grandfather to a particular restaurant for Sunday dinner, and I would usually order the turkey with dressing. Thanks to this, my mother thought I loved turkey and would fix it sometimes just because she thought I liked it. We had a good laugh when I finally realized (years later) that she thought I loved it and explained that it was the dressing I loved -- I only ordered the turkey to get the dressing.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by TonyB06

Hey, can we get some recipes up in this piece?

Yes! Please! I want to find a good dressing recipe, but haven't managed to do so. I've never been a big fan of either dressing or stuffing, but I'm sure that's because I haven't found the right recipe. I want to like it, and I try it every time (because everyone's is different), but so far it's just not been my cup of tea. Dammit.

[ThetaPrincess24]

We call it stuffing regardless of it being in or out of the bird.

I make a vegetarian stuffing that is quite popular in the family at both Thanksgiving, Christmas, & Easter.

It is actually a Pampered Chef recipe that I changed a little bit. It an apple & cranberry stuffing. I leave out the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing is not made with any animal stock. I use granny smith apples for my apples.

It goes great with my husband's deep fried turkey!!

[Low C Sharp]

We also call it stuffing regardless of where it is baked. But the important thing is that it be CORNBREAD, none of that white bread nonsense. I bake my own cornbread for this purpose (meaning that the stuffing is gluten-free), but my mother swears by Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing.

We don't measure, but here's the recipe. Crumble a pan of day-old cornbread. Mince a head of celery, a couple of large onions, and a container of button mushrooms and saute them in butter. Add salt, pepper, herb of your choice, and mix into the crumbs (or a couple of bags of PF crumbs). Moisten with a mixture of broth, beaten eggs, and as much melted butter as your calorie budget allows (anywhere from a couple of tablespoons to two sticks). Bake in a medium oven till it's brown and crispy on top.

Re: cranberries, there is no wrong way to serve me cranberry sauce. I love simple and homemade -- I use brown sugar for that. But I'll happily eat the jelly from the can too, especially the whole-berry kind. If we run out of gravy, I put cranberry sauce on the stuffing. So good!!

[amIblue?]

Y'all are getting too fancy with the dressing around here for this southern girl.

Cornbread, celery, onion, my family's special blend of spices, every bit of stock you can get from the turkey, and maybe some extra broth. That's it.

I agree with the no gravy thing. If you make it right, you don't need gravy.

Also, someone posted about dressing in the pan not being moist enough. If that's the case, you just haven't had good dressing.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Low C Sharp

. . . but my mother swears by Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing.

As did mine.

[sdtennisgal]

Being the Trader Joe's addict that I am...The Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing (or any other cornbread seasoned stuffing) is OK, but is really great with some tweaking. First, I make it out of the turkey to avoid bacteria issues. Saute about a cup of chopped celery, a cup of shredded carrots (...thank you Trader Joes, for saving time on this), and about a cup of chopped mushrooms. I also put in part of a package of the Trader Joe's pre-made wild rice (though don't go overboard on that), and some toasted slivered almonds. While the turkey is cooking, set aside some of the pan drippings for the stuffing (as well as the gravy). Refridgerate, skim off the fat, and use that as part of the liquid base. Also, save that extra skin from around the neck, cut in strips, saute a bit, then lay it on top of the stuffing as it cooks, and move around a bit while cooking, and completely take the skin off during the last 10 minutes of cooking. I also pull out one or two of the sprigs of sage that have been cooking in the turkey cavity and chopped them into the stuffing. That way the safe taste is not too strong in the stuffing.
For cranberries, I use my step-mother's recipe using dried figs and port wine. I tastes much more delicious than it sounds.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by summer_gphib

jalapeno and onion cranberry chutney!

I demand a recipe for this! *stomps foot* That sounds absolutely delish.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

I demand a recipe for this! *stomps foot* That sounds absolutely delish.

I second!

[summer_gphib]

Here it is.... as requested. It's actually pretty good. It's a new recipe for me, and I really like it, as does the hubs.


Jalapeno and Onion Cranberry Chutney (taken from Seaworld's Foodie Friday)
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
8 oz. sugar
2 small jalapenos, diced
4 oz. yellow onion, diced
2 oz. orange juice
Juice from 1 squeezed lime
Instructions:
Cook first two ingredients for 30 minutes or until tender on medium heat. Cool, and then add the last 4 ingredients to mixture.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by TonyB06

Hey, can we get some recipes up in this piece?

And whether it be dressing/stuffing, I don't eat it if it's smothered in gravy. Gravy, like cocaine, has no place on this earth.

I beg to differ! Cocaine is commonly used in medicine to contract bleeding vessels in the nose during ENT procedures. Nothing weirder than seeing your first vile of cocaine solution during medical school.

Gravy, basically another name for sauce, when done well is wonderful in the right quantities. It should be an accent to a dish and not smother it. If you have to cover a dry dressing with gravy to make it edible, your doing it wrong.

[ElieM]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I do not like gravy.

1. Stuffing does not need gravy.
2. Meats/tofus should be so moist and seasoned that they do not need gravy.

"So let it be written, so let it be done."

I concur.

[SWTXBelle]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/...isrc=obnetwork

To quote:
"For a holiday that ostensibly brings Americans together, Thanksgiving has a knack for highlighting regional fault lines and exposing local prejudices. Consider stuffing, the holiday’s quintessential side dish. The very word invites conflict, since many Southerners call it “dressing,” whether it’s stuffed into a turkey or baked separately from the bird. But the vital controversy arises over substance: Depending on where you’re from and who your ancestors were, you might make it out of white bread, out of rice or other grains—even out of chestnuts.

In which cases you’d be sorely mistaken, because the correct way to make stuffing is out of cornbread."

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

Depending on where you’re from and who your ancestors were, you might make it out of white bread, out of rice or other grains—even out of chestnuts.

In which cases you’d be sorely mistaken, because the correct way to make stuffing is out of cornbread."

Amen.

ETA: Sorely disappointed in the dressing offering. Our resident gourmand hosted this year. Oyster dressing and dressing made with white bread and biscuits of all things!