Thanksgiving Stuffing (and as of 2017 Homemade Desserts)

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

This is interesting. I've always used the words stuffing and dressing interchangeably, regardless of whether or not it's cooked inside the bird. My mom and grandmother always used to stuff the turkey but then at some point there was a lot of publicity about that being unsafe/unhealthy and we stopped going it. In my extended family, we take turns hosting Thanksgiving and the guests usually bring a covered dish, so there are some different dressing recipes each year but they have all always been delicious (lots of good cooks in the family!).

They are indeed interchangeable. The two are regional variations and have nothing to do with whether it was cooked inside or outside the bird. I have heard some culinary experts with TV shows make the errant claim. By the way cooking it inside the turkey isn't unsafe so long as, you get it to proper temperature. That said, it is very often the case that the turkey gets to minimum safe temperature before the stuffing. And many people don't actually check the stuffing. Hence the warnings. You'll often have to take it out of the turkey and finish it off in the oven. And if you don't have a proper thermometer, you're better off just cooking it in a pan outside the bird.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Wait a minute. This is a zombie thread. So it must have a zombie poll.

2 out of 10 zombies preferred their skulls stuffed with brains. 3 out of 10 preferred their skulls dressed with brains. 4 out of 10 said forget everything else. Just gimme the brains. The last one said you look like you have a lot of stuffing. So we high tailed it out of there.

 

[Micca]

My kids demand my crockpot stuffing. In fact, for the last 2 years I have made TWO crockpots of stuffing and TWO batches of cranberry sauce to go with it. My secret is the homemade bread cubes. I use both French bread and Italian seed bread (from Publix). Cut them into cubes about a week prior to Thanksgiving and put them into a 250 degree oven for about 30 min, to dry them out some. After that, they come out, cool off, and go into a bowl on top of the fridge to fully dry out--I turn them 3-4 times a day. On Thanksgiving day I put the bread cubes together with sautéed onions & celery, 1 cup of cornmeal, a can of cream of celery soup, poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary), a stick of melted butter, and water enough to moisten everything. Put it in the crockpot on high for about 3 hours--soooo, so good!...

Minky this sounds good! Would you mind sharing your cranberry sauce recipe? I've just copied your crockpot stuffing recipe to give it a shot!

.. For those of you that never had oyster stuffing growing up, how did you like it the 1st time having it as an adult? I'm thinking a might make a small side of it and giving it a shot.

I liked the oyster dressing quite a bit, of course you gotta like oysters. The version that I first experienced was quite different from regular dressing or stuffing.
The aunt of DW used to make it and she used canned oysters--but we were in a land locked area far from any fresh shellfish (this was in the days before you could get stuff like that at the grocery store.) It was clearly broken-up saltines, oysters, and...I don't know what else, but I liked it. If you're a fan of more traditional stuffing to have with turkey, I'd def. make both kinds. Let us know what you end up doing, I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

 

[luvsJack]

They are indeed interchangeable. The two are regional variations and have nothing to do with whether it was cooked inside or outside the bird. I have heard some culinary experts with TV shows make the errant claim. By the way cooking it inside the turkey isn't unsafe so long as, you get it to proper temperature. That said, it is very often the case that the turkey gets to minimum safe temperature before the stuffing. And many people don't actually check the stuffing. Hence the warnings. You'll often have to take it out of the turkey and finish it off in the oven. And if you don't have a proper thermometer, you're better off just cooking it in a pan outside the bird.

It may be interchangeable with some recipes but around here you couldn't use dressing for stuffing or visa versa. Two very different dishes.

A 9x13 pan of dressing calls for 6 cups of chicken stock OR more. Any less and its way to dry to cook correctly. But with that stock content it would not "stuff" in the bird at all. Also stuffing tends to be cubes of some kind of bread. Cornbread in dressing is not usually cubed but is crumbled. Then when everything is added back and its all cooked, its looks almost like a pone of cornbread but much moister and oh, so good.

 

[minkydog]

Minky this sounds good! Would you mind sharing your cranberry sauce recipe? I've just copied your crockpot stuffing recipe to give it a shot!

LOL, it's quite simple: a bag of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of sugar (more or less), and 2 cup of water. My family likes it a little tart, so I only use about 3/4 cup of sugar. If it's too tart I add more sugar about a tablespoon at a time.

 

[Micca]

LOL, it's quite simple: a bag of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of sugar (more or less), and 2 cup of water. My family likes it a little tart, so I only use about 3/4 cup of sugar. If it's too tart I add more sugar about a tablespoon at a time.

So do you smash up the cranberries or just serve them whole? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

It may be interchangeable with some recipes but around here you couldn't use dressing for stuffing or visa versa. Two very different dishes.

A 9x13 pan of dressing calls for 6 cups of chicken stock OR more. Any less and its way to dry to cook correctly. But with that stock content it would not "stuff" in the bird at all. Also stuffing tends to be cubes of some kind of bread. Cornbread in dressing is not usually cubed but is crumbled. Then when everything is added back and its all cooked, its looks almost like a pone of cornbread but much moister and oh, so good.

The recipe may not be the same when one cooks it in the bird vs in a pan but either may be called stuffing or dressing. The terms do not refer to the cooking method.

 

[asta]

It may be interchangeable with some recipes but around here you couldn't use dressing for stuffing or visa versa. Two very different dishes.

A 9x13 pan of dressing calls for 6 cups of chicken stock OR more. Any less and its way to dry to cook correctly. But with that stock content it would not "stuff" in the bird at all. Also stuffing tends to be cubes of some kind of bread. Cornbread in dressing is not usually cubed but is crumbled. Then when everything is added back and its all cooked, its looks almost like a pone of cornbread but much moister and oh, so good.

I agree with this. For us it always dressing and always made with a crumbled pan of cornbread with a few cubes of that store bought stuff thrown in for added texture. The chicken stock is poured over the dressing after it is pressed into a pan. Way to wet to ever be put into the bird.

It is so good. My favorite Thanksgiving dish. And it is even better as a leftover.

 

[minkydog]

So do you smash up the cranberries or just serve them whole? Thanks for the reply.

Nope, just rinse them off and put them in whole. It takes about 8-10 min to hear them start popping open. Then just cook it a 1-2 min more to thicken the sauce. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Voila! You just made cranberry sauce!

 

[dashofsunshine]

I'm from the South and we always have my granny's cornbread stuffing for thanksgiving. It is my favorite thing basically ever. Three years ago, my husband and I did our first thanksgiving together with just us, at our house, and he made his Mom's stuffing (they're from New York). It was made from stale bread and apples and...some other things...went inside the turkey...I tried desperately to give it a chance... I thought it was bizarre and didn't care for it at all. Thankfully, it turns out my husband now likes my granny's cornbread stuffing better, too so we make that every year now, and it's all good!!!

 

[BDL]

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner...

<<< BUMP >>>

 

[Poohlove]

I make my stuffing with bread cubes, spicy sausage and V8 juice. It is so good! It holds up well to my leftover pot pie concoction. I press stuffing into a pie pan as a crust then layer in turkey, gravy, green bean casserole and top with mashed potatoes and bake until warmed through I serve the sweet potato casserole and cranberry sauce on the side. It is always a huge hit with everyone!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My stuffing is sausage, poultry seasoning, cubed bread, butter, onion, celery, chicken broth and diced granny smith apples. I pretty much hate any other kind of stuffing

That sounds like a stuffing we have made for quite a few years. Although replace poultry seasoning with various fresh herbs

 

[Gigi22]

Also love Nigella Lawson's Cornbread, Cranberry and Orange Stuffing, which can be baked in an 8 in. ovenproof dish. It is nice and acidic, and cuts down the fattiness of the turkey and all the side dishes. Zest and juice 1 orange, add 1 pkg. fresh/frozen cranberries. Bring to simmer, sweeten with 100 g. liquid honey. Cover, lower heat, simmer 5 min. Add 125 g. butter and stir in, off the heat, until melted. Add 500 g. cornbread crumbs (most of 1 loaf of cornbread). Then add 2 beaten eggs, salt, pepper and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Bake in greased 8 in. pan, in preheated 350 F. oven for 30-35 min. To quote Nigella, "you will get nine brownie-sized slabs out of it and I doubt any child present will be interested in eating any."

 

[Liberty Belle]

We use Pepperidge Farms bagged stuff mix.

I'm not sure how my husband's family makes stuffing, but they form it into balls (about the size of a scoop of ice cream, which I'm pretty sure is how they form the balls), and then they serve noodles in gravy and everyone spoons it over their stuffing.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I always find it interesting to see variations on dressing from region to region or even in the same region.

My mother and grandmother made a white bread dressing with celery, onions, broth from the turkey and lots of sage.

First Thanksgiving with DW's family, I was shocked and appalled to see they put sliced boiled eggs in their cornbread dressing (and in the gravy, too). I despise boiled eggs and even if I didn't I don't think I could get around big slices of them in the dressing. So no dressing for me, which was a little like being punished.

So now our compromise dressing is basically her family's cornbread dressing but with no eggs. (And I probably go a little heavier on the sage than DW would prefer.)

 

[awalker1015]

We don't do stuffing for our Thanksgiving; we do dressing (not in the bird). I LOVE my momma's dressing, too. No my husband's family's dressing? Not so much. His grandparents make this oyster dressing that is... well, not good. So, a few years back, I hosted my husband's immediate family for Thanksgiving and I made my momma's dressing. We use cornbread, chicken broth, sage, poultry seasoning, onions, and a few other things. It is delicious. Now, my sister-in-law begs me to make my stuff instead of their grandfather's when we go there for Thanksgiving. Won't be doing that, though.

This is what we've always made, what my mom made, both my grandmothers. I look forward to it every year!! Only difference is we add other breads beside cornbread- - few slices of stale white bread, maybe a few leftover biscuits. We did the oyster dressing one year we lived on the coast and while I liked it ok, it was awful the next day.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My mother and grandmother made a white bread dressing with celery, onions, broth from the turkey and lots of sage.

This is what we've always made, what my mom made, both my grandmothers. I look forward to it every year!!

That's similar to what I make. Got my stuffing recipient from my mother. 1/2 dried, cubed white bread & 1/2 prepared, seasoned stuffing (like Mrs. Cubbison's). Onions, celery & raisins. Poultry seasoning & sage.

 

[winterman]

After DH died, DS took over cooking holiday meals. He has perfected his stuffing over a few years until it is fabulous, now. He always makes extra, that is not in the turkey, so we have plenty for leftovers.

He starts with 1/2 white and 1/2 pumpernickel bread that he cubes and dries slightly in the oven. He adds bacon, onions cooked in the bacon pan, Bell's Seasoning, and whole cranberry sauce (one can plus extra as he needs from what I have made.

 

[ronandannette]

I always find it interesting to see variations on dressing from region to region or even in the same region.

My mother and grandmother made a white bread dressing with celery, onions, broth from the turkey and lots of sage.

First Thanksgiving with DW's family, I was shocked and appalled to see they put sliced boiled eggs in their cornbread dressing (and in the gravy, too). I despise boiled eggs and even if I didn't I don't think I could get around big slices of them in the dressing. So no dressing for me, which was a little like being punished.

So now our compromise dressing is basically her family's cornbread dressing but with no eggs. (And I probably go a little heavier on the sage than DW would prefer.)

Yep - ^^that sounds like dressing to me. I've never been exposed to a lot of other varieties (other than here on the DIS ) and agree it would be shocking and pretty disappointing to be served something weird with eggs or oysters or sausage or raisins or whatever, along side the turkey. I can't imagine ever having that problem though since I do practically 100% of the cooking both here at home and when we travel to be with family for holidays. Nobody ever tries to interfere because they don't want to have to pitch in and help!