Hi! I bet you thought I was going to leave you hanging on the Turkey Stuffing! NEVER! I just wanted to let last weeks recipes sink in with you, as you were planning for your big day.
Here are some ideas for stuffing. In each case, I strongly suggest that you DO NOT stuff your turkey. I suggest that you cook/bake your stuffing separately, so you can monitor the temperature of the stuffing as is goes through the danger zone. The danger zone for growing food bacteria that can get you sick is between 40*F and 125*F. You want to have your foods go through that zone quickly up or down. When your stuffing, which has fresh eggs in it, sits inside the turkey cavity and bakes/roasts it takes longer for the stuffing to go through the danger zone, creating the chance for you to get a stomach ache or food poisoning. My goal is to prevent that, so we will discuss your options below.
Stuffing - quick n easy
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 box Stove Top Turkey Stuffing mix
1 stick unsalted butter
Preparation
Follow box directions
Tips: This is a good option because you have limited oven space due to the bird and your casserole side dishes. Plus it is very simple for you and your children to prepare together.
Options: Replace the water with chicken broth.
Old Fashioned Stuffing
Serves 6-10 people
Leftovers can be refrigerated and can keep three days.
Ingredients
1 large loaf of white bread (Or bread of your choice. About one pound of bread)
2 cups egg beaters
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth
2 sticks unsalted butter or any healthy butter option
2 celery stalks, small dice
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
1 tsp celery seed
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation
Child: Unpackage the bread and tear up into small uneven pieces. Place torn bread in a very large bowl
Parent: Dice the onions, celery
Parent: Place the unwrapped butter into a 12 inch saute pan on low heat (2) and melt.
Parent or child: place the diced vegetables in with the melted butter, being careful not to splash yourself or burn yourself on the hot pan!
Parent: Cook the vegetables until the onions are no longer raw. About 4 minutes.
Child: measure seasonings and sprinkle into bowl with torn bread pieces
Child: Add liquids to the torn bread, and while wearing plastic gloves, or with clean hands, mix the ingredients
Parent: Pour and spoon in the cooked vegetables and butter in with the mixed "wet" and seasoned breading. And stir to mix with a strong spoon for 4 minutes. then with glove on, and being careful of the hot vegetables, mix the stuffing completely .
Child: pre-heat oven to 325* F or wait until there are 20 minutes until the time when your turkey is ready to be carved.
Parent or child : spoon stuffing into a non-stick sprayed baking dish
Parent: Place your baking dish, uncovered in the oven at 325*F for 20 minutes
Parent: You can place the cooked stuffing baking dish covered on top of your stove on "warm" for up to 10 minutes, if you need to hold it.
TIP: You can cover each of your side dishes and place the oven safe casserole dishes on your stove heating elements on "warm" for up to 10 minutes, if you have to do so to get your meal timed, or on the table at the same time.
Options:
1. Peel, core and small dice 2 fresh apples and add to stuffing mix prior to baking.
2. Substitute Corn bread for white bread. JIFFY brand is quick and easy to make. Allow to cool before cutting into cubes, then follow stuffing directions.
3. Add 1/2 pound drained fresh oysters, small dice, to stuffing mix prior to baking for "Oyster Dressing"
4. Substitute half cinnamon apple sauce and half vegetable broth for the Chicken broth for a vegetarian stuffing
5. Crack open, chop and boil fresh chestnuts for 20 minutes in 1 cup of apple juice. Add to existing recipe, when you add the cooked vegetables, to produce chestnut dressing. If you really want to go "old school" do not boil the nuts. Chop them, toss them in olive oil, roll them up in aluminum foil tightly and bake/roast them in a 450*F oven for 20 minutes, then add them into the stuffing mix prior to baking.
There are easy and fun crafts to complete while your bird and all the trimmings are cooking. Paper can be folded like a card and the names of each guest printed on the card where they will sit at your Thanksgiving Feast. Pictures can be drawn to share with family and friends. Paper plates can be decorated as placemats. They can also be cut into feather shapes and colored, then taped or glued to make an Indian Head Dress. I like to believe what I learned in grammar school and that without the help of the Native Americans when the Mayflower landed, the Pilgrims would have been less thankful in the new land. You can also make turkeys with feathers with those same paper plates and markers or crayons.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones. Make it a great day filled with photos and positive memories for you and your children. Remember that nothing is perfect. And when cooking, things can be less than perfect. You are trying your best and so are your children. See the fun in it, the experience of being together in it and enjoy what you have created together. When you follow all of these recipes, you will be 100% better off than having no direction at all and everything your family has created will be edible!
See you next week......
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