How do you make your stuffing? Do you dry your own homemade bread for the stuffing? Do you buy it in a bag? Heavens to Betsy..you don't use the kind in a red box ..do you?
Personally I want some of my Grandmother D's stuffing. I think hers was the best I have ever tasted. It had apples and raisins. It was moist, never dry, and never cooked to the sides of the roaster. Oh come on..you know the kind I am talking about..the stuffing that was in the oven for too long or the oven was too warm. It coats the inside of the roasting pan in a layer so thick it has to be soaked for a day or two. Then you think..hey I should have spayed that pan with something..it is always too late by the time I remember that too.
Sometime along the way, Far Guy got put in charge of the stuffing. He doesn't put in any raisins or apples. He cooks up the giblets and uses them in the stuffing. He chops them up really fine, so unless you know they are there, you hardly realize it. All these years he has been sneaking some liver into our diets.
I remember one Thanksgiving, he and Dick (Son in Law) were in charge of dinner. Dick has what I call a highly tuned gag/vomit reflex..he gags very easily..one hand into that stuffing mixture and he was a goner. Far Guy thought it was pretty cool, and pushed both of Dick's hands into the stuffing. Dick came running out of the kitchen calling Far Guy a sick pervert. Far Guy went on to explain that only sissy's mix stuffing with a spoon. They are not very compatible in a kitchen.
I have had corn bread stuffing when we lived in Florida, it is OK. I have had wild rice stuffing here in Minnesota, it is OK. I have had stuffing in a fancy restaurant, theirs was pathetic. I told them to tell the Chef that the stuffing sucked, but I was glad they used real potatoes instead of the kind out of a box. I like to often temper my negative comments with something positive. No one should ever ask me how was your meal?..how is everything tasting?..did you enjoy your meal? Far Guy will sometimes request my silence.."Please don't say anything bad." OR "Could you hold onto your opinion until we are in the car?" I could..but WILL I? Sometimes I am greatly challenged to walk out of some place knowing that I was served inferior food, and when asked for my opinion I bit my tongue so Far Guy could feel more comfortable for the rest of the day. What about me? I swear once we reach the car, he goes into an ignore mode anyway, that meal is behind him and he is just worried about the next one.
Stuffing..everyone has their favorites..care to share yours?:)
LOL! You are just like my dad - he tells everyone what he thinks of the meal - especially if it's bad... but he does it in a fairly nice way.
ReplyDeleteI'm vegetarian so not a great eater of stuffing - although I do like veggie varieties with bread and apricots and raisins.
I love my Mom's and my Sister's stuffing. No matter what I do, and I am a good cook, it never tastes as good as theirs.
ReplyDeleteThey both use the white bread method, but Mom uses Stoeufer's seasoned bread cubes, and Turf Toter uses Mrs. Cubbins, dried seasoned bread cubes. We all add celery, seasoning, broth, onions, and sometimes cranberries, or other additions.
During our recent thanksgiving, I was wandering up and down the grocery aisles, looking for bread cubes. I ran into a lady with a loaf of white bread in her cart, she graciously told me how she makes hers. She toasts white bread, cubes it, adds onions, garlic, celery, seasoning, and broth. Mine turned out the absolute best ever this year. And I am grateful to her, for sharing.
Good stuffing is sublime, bad stuffing, well don't even bother!
Jen
This was very cute reading today. I've never had stuffing. We always make cornbread dressing and just never tried anything different! Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteI love GOOD stuffing. I keep it simple using white bread, onions, celery, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, a glob of mayonaise and a bit of chicken stock if it's too dry.
ReplyDeleteStuffing ..thats what we call it here in the North!
ReplyDeleteMildred, People in the south must call it dressing?
Lady Fi, veggie varieties sound good..love the idea of the Apricots too!
Muddy Boot Dreams, That would be my basic recipe too minus the Celery. Celery gives me hives! :)
My mom made the absolute best stuffing. She also put the giblets in there. I could never make it like she did. I have left the giblets in the turkey a few times though. Still in their little wrappings. Does that count as being in the stuffing?
ReplyDeleteOh geez, hate to say it, but I dislike stuffing altogether. I let my mother in law do that part, but they say it is the most important part of the "meal".
ReplyDeleteI make pecan/cornbread stuffing. Full of nuts, cornbread, white bread, celery, onions, broth...I love stuffing!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
My mom makes great stuffing, she doesn't add anything fancy. She never stuffs the bird. I tried a sausage, cranberry stuffing, it was dry, no one ate it. They ate moms. Oh and I left the little bags inside the turkey before too.
ReplyDeletehappy pre-turkey all.. very similar to muddy boot dreams stuffing.. except we dont add cranbers.. .but mushrooms
ReplyDeletein a word yum...
now onto the sweet potatoes and pineapples fixin'
gp
guilty of boxed cornbread stuffin from Mrs Mccubbins.
ReplyDeleteMom made it from scratch. I hated stuffing as a kid. She used what she could find or afford (it was a tough life for her)
But I certainly made up for the missing spot on my plate with her potatoes and gravy.
I would prefer the fruity dressing. No thank you for the giblets.
laughing at the gagging son in law.
I grew up calling it dressing --- don't know why, my mom was raised in North Dakota!
ReplyDeleteI used sage for years, but recently changed to poultry seasoning and like it better.
Daughter Joy uses the crock pot (but uses Stove Top Stuffing and uses chicken broth.
I think dressing (stuffing) is the best part of the meal, right up there with potatoes and gravy. Oh, turkey's okay, but not necessary!
Good Morning,
ReplyDeleteMy stuffing, (I think I call it stuffing more than dressing, but have called it both) I get packaged bread crumbs, make it the usual was, but I add celery, onion, mushrooms, and sausage. I dont think I really have changed it much over the years.
This year I have to work, so there is no cooking for me or my hubby. Actually, I work most holidays. But we are going over to one of the kids house this year after work, so that will be nice.