unstuffed stuffing question

[Suzanne]

This is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! Gilbear, your multi-dressing meal sounds like my idea of heaven. And everyone's suggestions are making me sooooooooooooo hungry.

I like to add lots of vegetables to my dressing: mushrooms, fennel, celery, red bell pepper (tastes better cooked than green) -- and if I'm not using them in succotash, jerusalem artichokes. Also chestnuts. I also prefer to add extra liquid, but bake it uncovered, so that I get a nice crisp crust on top.

[gilbear]

Well, my friends, I have some good news and some bad news. First the bad.
We had far fewer stuffings this year. We had a"Martha Stewart" Pecan-apple-sausage dressing that was politely consumed. Then Tragedy struck! Uncle Timmy made his regular sausage dressing and his Oyster dressing using "organic" bread croutons provided by the Martha Stewart dressing person. We have dubbed it "The Great Stuffing Disaster of '03" I am going to write a song about it.
The normally moist and sumptuous stuffings turned in to a gluey gloppy mess. The bread liquified; degenerated; evaporated; dissipated;did-something-horrible! There was a top crust and a bottom crust but the innards were just a horrible grey mass. None of us had ever experienced anything like it. We were Very,Very UN-thankful for organic croutons.
Now the Good news!
DESSERT! yes, that's right! Out loud and shouting! DESSERT!
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Soufle...How do I describe it? Warm, moist, fluffy,tender, melting on the tongue, full of raisins and toasted pecan pieces; it hurts to think about it and know that there's none left; But there was a Bourbon Cream Sauce to pour over it like liquid love.
Pumpkin Flan...smooth, rich, spicy, filling my mouth like a Thanksgiving cloud. Also good with Bourbon Cream sauce poured over it!
A trio of pies, Pecan with dark Karo;Peanut(or Virginia Dare) with light Karo; Walnut with maple syrup These were my contribution. They were also very tasty with Bourbon Cream sauce on them.
Individual Mince Meat Tarts... glorious, spicy, fruity, made with ground venison( which wasn't revealed until AFTER consumption."OH No! You ate Bambi's Momma!" I am soooo wicked.) Although they were redolent of Brandy, they were still very tasty with Bourbon Cream sauce on them.
Dried Fruit and Sweet Potato Streudel... Muscats, currants,apricts and sweet potato slices in crisp buttery phyllo. I wanted this to be better than it was.Something lacked but I couldn't put my finger on it. It was, however, improved by the addition of Bourbon Cream sauce. I think that leftover mashed potatoes would be improved by pouring Bourbon Cream sauce over them. You wouldn't even have to warm them up. But you should warm the sauce.
Atttention: you must be 18 years of age to continue reading.
Pumpkin Custard Tart with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust... Who woulda thunk that those flavors would be so suited to each other. It was beyond my imaginings, but it was Oh so tasty.
White and Dark Chocolate Cream Pie in a Pretzel Crust...Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Luscious, creamy white layer; deep rich, sinful dark layer; salty, crunchy crust.
A shivering combination. The less politically correct among us christened it_PMS Pie.
I have suggested that next year we should skip dinner altogether so as to have the maximum available belly space for dessert! On the other hand, I have to see my doctor on the 9th. I think I should start Fasting, uhhh, Tomorrow.

[Mezzaluna]

Heck, I'd even eat beets with bourbon cream sauce on them!

What a lovely dessert menu, gilbear. I haven't a clue why organic croutons would make a difference in the oyster stuffing, but I wonder if it was a glutenless or other odd type of bread, rather than it being organic.

[Suzanne]

Yeah, that's my guess: not real bread.

As for those desserts -- I'm dizzy just reading them! Yum!

[gilbear]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to blame Organic, as a whole. Just this particular "Organic" whole Earth, Yuppified bag of bread that ruined the stuffing. It Has to be the best; it costs the most. This is logic that I wouldn't apply, but I didn't (read-wouldn't)buy them.
The proposition was that we were to try a spoonful of each dessert. No one was able to settle for ONE spoonful. It was a dangerous job, but I knew it had to be done.