Off topic - Thanksgiving Recipe Request
 

Hi

Does anyone have a stuffing/dressing recipe that you love and don't mind sharing? I have always used my grandmother's traditional herbed bread stuffing, but I want to shake it up this year. Ideas?

Also, does anyone know how to make green bean casserole from scratch, no canned soup please?

thanks!

My mother made an oyster dressing that was awesome!

I know it sounds awful but she made the standard bread crumb dressing and added just a few finely chopped oysters (from the jar) to the mix. It didn't have a fishy taste, just very moist.

I'm trying to find my stuffing recipe. It's around here somewhere. In the meantime, here's a great canned soup-free green bean casserole: Grandma's Green Bean Casserole Recipe - Allrecipes.com

I will make my own, but in recent years we have been hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in our home and adopting wayward sailors and marines who don't have anywhere to go for dinner. I make the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, rolls, cranberry relish, and pies. My best friend makes the stuffing and green bean casserole, and she makes my stuffing but the Campbell's casserole. I don't argue because I have enough to do to prepare for dinner. Guests are asked to bring a beverage or a dessert, if they don't like apple pr pumpkin pies.

I do the traditional dressing also so no help there.

Saw this the other day. Looks good to me!

Green Bean Casserole | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond

Thanks Charmed. Everyone asks about oyster stuffing. I live on the coast so there is lots of fresh seafood available. I LOVE steamed or raw oysters. What are the jarred oysters? Smoked?

Thanks NWGRITS. I checked out your recipe and it looks great. How do you adopt soldiers on holidays?

I love cooking. I like this thread but I never do thanksgiving. Wish i could help. My mom used to have it every year but we now all trek an hour to my grandfather's house. He is 93, lives on his own and golfs four days a week when weather permits but he is tired of driving to us. My brother now does the turkey and brings it out. Gramps does the mashed potatoes from scratch and mom brings sides.

I should do something this year.

I live in the midwest so no good oysters. This is my "meateater special":

My favorite stuffing is to mix carmelized red onions, browned bacon (diced) and sage sausage (made from scratch easy with salt pepper crumbled sage, a little cayenne if you want or buy pre-made) and mix with cornbread stuffing mix, crumbled cornbread, and a little chopped celery and chopped fresh red onions. *I love to put some raisins in this, presoaked in a little hot stock, but that isn't to everyone's taste. Fruit and pork are a match made in heaven as far as I can tell. . .

I add turkey stock and melted butter--remember to deglaze onion and meat browning pan with the turkey stock and dump the brown bits, grease and stock in stuffing mix. Next, put it in a pan uncovered, and cook at 350 till crispy on top. I don't measure, but would guess about a pound of sausage, pound of bacon, 2 bags of stuffing, 1/2 pound butter, stock to moisture--about a can maybe a little more. If you like cornbread and pork, how can you go wrong?

It's a tradition that was started by my parents when I was a kid. My dad is a marine, so he would always adopt the young kids for the holidays, and we'd have them over for all of our parties and dinners. When I started my own family, we started going through the ombudsman to the base. Normally they have a list of servicemembers who don't have anywhere to go. If there's a military base near you, you can just call up the main information line and ask about how to adopt a servicemember for a holiday meal. I don't outsource to the ombudsman anymore since my husband's squadron always has kids who don't go home, but we will continue the tradition after he retires. It means so much to them to just have some sense of normalcy around the holidays. The little things are a big deal to these kids, especially if they've never spent time away from home before.

No not smoked oysters, my Mom used fresh raw oysters in a jar - about 8 to 10 oz clear jar.

My Mom has passed away and since I left my AH all her recipes are packed with my belongings in storage but I see a recipe here that looks similar Olympia Oyster Company - Recipes

They should be in the meat/seafood department, they keep them refrigerated.

I know my Mom used part of a jar and some of the juice. She said the full jar was too strong tasting.

My family is Southern and loves our sausage and cornbread stuffing. I found some "light" versions online (Martha Stewart's looks good), but my mom's is from a church cookbook from the 1970s and involves 2 sticks of butter, not including what goes into the cornbread.

:bananadan

check Foodnetwork site.

Rachel Ray was on her other show yesterday demonstrating her stuffing recipes...chopped apple, celery, onion, sausage and chestnuts.

i love stuffing! the turkey is just a side dish for it.

Wow thanks.

Lyssy, I like the pioneer woman. I watch her show on saturday's when i have the chance.

Hawkeye, your sausage stuffing sounds DELICIOUS.

Charmed, thanks for that oyster company site. that recipe sounds like mine with oysters added. i also like the oyster appetizers they list.

Stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving food. I agree about the turkey being a side for it. Maybe I should have two stuffing dishes? Sausage cornbread as one and herbed bread oyster as the other. Too much?

Too much? NEVER.

Never a thing such as too much stuffing!

I am not a huge fan of turkey but I love all the other Thanksgiving fixings. I know it's weird but I do not like left over turkey, I only eat it the first day when it's fresh.

But the stuffing is something different, I will heat and eat the left over stuffing til it's gone.

I am looking for some quick appetizer dishes -does anyone have anything they would like to share?

Oh yes....sausage stuffing!

Grab a couple of bags of Pepperidge Farm stuffing. You want the blue one, not the red one. Use chicken broth in place of water. You can adjust that based in how moist you want the stuffing as well, or follow package directions. Make sure to add the butter as well. Brown a tube or two of sausage meat (I use regular old sausage, nothing fancy) depending on how much sausage you want in it. Add it, as well as generous amount of parmesan cheese. Since nothing raw is in it you can taste test it. Bake in buttered dish. Mmm!

I agree with everyone on the sausage stuffing, and I swear the grease in the sausage cooked in the bird helps keep the bird more moist! Sage sausage + apples = <3

I've made this one before, and it's bad @$s. Sage, Sausage and Apple Dressing Recipe : Food Network Kitchens : Recipes : Food Network

That sounds great!

And I agree, stuffing the bird with sausage stuffing is fabulous! We would stuff the bird with it and bake another pan of it as well. Can't have too much sausage stuffing!

ladies, these recipes look so good. I was writing a menu and grocery list last night and am already very excited to cook (and eat) all the good thanksgiving food. you guys have changed my mind and i am going to make a side dish of sausage cornbread dressing and stuff the bird with herbed bread stuffing.

Oh! I also learned last night (something i have never understood) that technically stuffing is the stuff that goes into the bird and dressing is what you put in the casserole dish to bake separately. who knew? makes sense. i call it all stuffing.

charmed, here is my favorite simple hot artichoke dip recipe. my friend gave it to my 20 years ago and EVERY time i make it, people rave.

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix all ingredients:
1/2 c. hellman's mayo
1 c. grated parm. cheese (i use slightly less)
1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 TBSP chopped jalapenos (i use the jarred type)
3. cook in baking dish (i use pie plate) for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly, hot and light brown.

It is AWESOME with ritz crackers, but also good with wheat thins or corn chips.

I add hot Italian sausage and a chopped apple to traditional sage and bread stuffing. I am also generous with the sage.