dressing for turkey day

[kpollard_2000]

What goes into your Thanksgiving Dressing?

Grandmother's Famous
Turkey Dressing


8 cups of dry Bread Cubes (you can buy these or heat oven to 300, turn off and put cubes in and let them sit in a large roasing pan, do this twice)

2-3 medium Onions (chopped)
4-5 stalks Celery (chopped)
Shortening or Vegetable Oil
1/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/2 cup of Butter or Margarine
3/4 (about) cup of liquid (hot water with bullion or broth from giblets)
1 (about) cup Gravy (made from drippings and slightly thickened)

- Saute onions and celery in a little shortening until yellow

- Salt & pepper to taste (1 1/2 teaspoons of salt is about right)

- Mix bread with sauted onions, celery and poultry seasoning

- Pour melted butter in and mix

- Moisten with the liquid - form into balls

- Put balls on cookie sheet or shallow pan, brown in 350 degree oven for about
30 minutes, until nicely browned, freeze if not to be used now

- Take out and put in casserole

- Pour about 1 cup of gravy that has been thickened slightly over the dressing balls

- Put cover on and bake about 20 to 30 minutes longer in 350 degree oven


Note: 15 slices of sandwich bread should yield close to 8 cups of cubes.
Measure after they are dry.

[cape chef]

I make two, Everyone loves sweet sausage and cortland apple dressing, and a corn bread,leek and chanterell dressing for the more daring

[Mezzaluna]

I prefer savory dressings to those with fruit, and have tasted many versions over the years. But my all-time fave is my mom's, made with dried bread cubes, diced celery and onion, chopped mushrooms, chicken or turkey broth, s/p, plenty of poultry seasoning and great big dollops of schmaltz.

[This message has been edited by Mezzaluna (edited 11-20-2000).]

[cape chef]

Oh yeah, Schmaltz!!! can't forget that

[This message has been edited by cape chef (edited 11-20-2000).]

A friend of mine actually found a non-fat version of schmaltz in her local grocery (in Andover, Mass.) I didn't taste it but it smelled like the real deal. Non-fat schmaltz - is it me or is that confusing?

Sausage/herb stuffing: Cut 1 sourdough loaf into cubes, about 1/2" square (including crust); let sit out overnight to get stale. Remove casing from 1 lb. of sage sausage and cook about 75% done and remove from pan; soften 2 medium onions and 2-3 stalks of celery (including leaves); add parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (I know, I know), kosher salt and freshle ground pepper to taste. Combine it all and add 2 beaten eggs, and either stuff it into the birdie or cook separately. I always stuff it into the turkey, but if you cook it separately, I'd add some broth to make sure that it stays moist.

I've tried other stuffings through the years, but I've always returned to this one; it's my family's fave!. If there's any left over, we have the traditional gross-and-disgusting leftover sandwich - turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce. It's sort of like a bread sandwich, but it is yummy!

[cape chef]

Non fat schmaltz? now thats a aximoron
cc

I know, isn't that the weirdest thing? I think it's called "Nyafat" or something like that. Like I said, it smelled right . . . but how can you possibly do gribnis without fat?

Oh, my . . . I feel an attack of chopped liver coming on. There must be something about my schiksa background that I don't know about.

[cape chef]

Maryeo , you are to funny
cc

[Mezzaluna]

Fat free schmaltz??? Oy, gevalt. I've heard of cholesterol-free "schmaltz", and it isn't bad. I recall it's vegetable oil, margarine (to keep it pareve- neither meat nor dairy), and onion, simmered until the onions become dark. I have the recipe somewhere, but it lacks the cachet of being a 'dangerous', forbidden food somehow!