Stuff It!

(I mean that in the nicest way possible – it is not recommended that you say this to the airport security guard when he requests permission to pat you down)…

It’s all my friend Todd‘s fault…he posted this recipe for Cranberry Chutney yesterday.  Then my friend Maura posted her Sweet Potato Casserole recipe.  Since I’ve been making holiday dinners (from scratch) for the last 30 years (yes, children…it’s really true!), I thought I might as well offer my contribution, even though we celebrated our Canadian Thanksgiving last month.

My recipe is for those of you who claim not to be able to cook, and sadly, resort to preparing boxed stuffing mix for turkey dinners…this is easy to make, and tastes infinitely better!  There are no strict measurements in the recipe…as long as you don’t decide to, say, dump in 1/2 cup of sage (instead of a teaspoon or so), you’re good!

Wendy’s Homemade Stuffing

8 to 16 slices of your favourite bread (multiple kinds is fun – vary amount according to size of turkey, or how much you love stuffing), cubed with a sharp knife

1 or 2 medium onions, minced

3 to 5 stalks celery, minced (use leaves for extra flavour, if desired)

2 to 3 large eggs

1 or 2 large chicken bouillon cubes (I use the 1″ square ones x 1/2″ thick), grated

Sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, poultry seasoning, cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste (use pinches!)

A handful or two of raisins, soaked in water until plump (if desired)

An apple or two, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces (if desired) 

Mix above ingredients together in a massive mixing bowl.  Stuff as much of the mixture as you can into turkey or chicken cavity…I use toothpicks to hold the openings closed.  Roast the bird as usual.  There are two ways you can cook the rest of the stuffing (refrigerate it until it’s time to cook – food poisoning on Thanksgiving would definitely ruin your guests’ holiday!): I usually steam it in the top of my pan while I’m cooking the potatoes, or it can be placed into a greased casserole and cooked in the oven along with the bird for the last 45 minutes of cooking.  When the bird is done, scoop the stuffing out of it, and mix it with the “unstuffed” stuffing in a serving dish…the flavours will blend together, and no one will suspect it wasn’t all cooked in the bird!

This pan is similar to the one I use to cook the potatoes/stuffing in...

I wish I could be with my American relatives and have another Thankgiving dinner with them this year…

I’ll leave you with this anecdote from a holiday dinner at my Aunt Judy’s sometime in the early 1980’s: My Great Uncle Gene passed the vegetables to his wife and asked, in his typical deadpan way, “Do you want a pea, Helen?”

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!