# Stuffing For Turkey?



## ThePunkHippie (Sep 21, 2012)

I'm planning on roasting up a turkey next Sunday, & I usually make the same stuffing (bread, thyme, oregano, sage, enough butter to make it stick together)
I'd like to try something different though.  I've tried cornbread stuffing in the past & thought it was too sweet to go well with the other flavours.

Suggestions?


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## taxlady (Sep 21, 2012)

ThePunkHippie said:


> I'm planning on roasting up a turkey next Sunday, & I usually make the same stuffing (bread, thyme, oregano, sage, enough butter to make it stick together)
> I'd like to try something different though.  I've tried cornbread stuffing in the past & thought it was too sweet to go well with the other flavours.
> 
> Suggestions?


Chop some celery and onions and sauté until soft. Use stock to moisten. Add some plumped raisins. Add a lot of parsley.


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 21, 2012)

Now that fall is here maybe adding some chopped apple, some Craisins and moistening it with a little apple cider might be nice.

I must admit that I have tried and enjoyed some of the  "fancier" stuffing recipes but, I always come back to the basic bread stuffing for turkey and chicken.


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## Addie (Sep 21, 2012)

Oyster stuffing, roasted chestnut stuffing, (chestnuts are not in season yet) giblet stuffing, minus the liver (instead of using the giblets for gravy), potato and sausage stuffing, different fruit stuffing, sausage and mushroom stuffing, rice and ...... stuffing. Just for a start. Stuffing can be anything you want it to be.  You basically need a carb such as bread or rice to hold it together and anything you want to add to it. Seasoning is your choice. I do like what you use for your sage/bread stuffing. My mother (and now me) used to make a small amount of a different stuffing for the neck. It usually was a potato sausage stuffing.


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## taxlady (Sep 21, 2012)

My mother was Danish and thought that bread stuffing was yucky. She made meatloaf inside of the bird.


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## Mamas kitchen (Sep 21, 2012)

I use my own recipe that I made went experimenting with stuffed chicken and it tastes great with turkey too. It's stove top savory herbs (and I actually don't cook the stuffing) I fluff it with marinade about 1/4 cup of any marinade with turkey I like to use the balsamic tomato basil from Kraft. Add a half a bag of spinach and about a half cup of cream cheese and mix until blended then stuff Tom up and cook the spinach wilts with the turkey juices and the stuffing doesn't burn it's great! We are cream cheese lovers so the cream cheese may be a little too much but it definatly melts in your mouth!


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## Siegal (Sep 21, 2012)

Where my husband is from they stuff poultry with rice not bread. Here is a delicious stuffing I have made alot;

Toasted pine nuts, raw ground beef, sautéed onions, parboiled long grain dice (cook with salt), allspice, drop of cinnamon, salt. Stuff! It's even better when u put it in the bottom of the roaring pan and it absorbs all the poultry drippings to cook the rice. Just baste it and cover with foil if it is getting overcooked


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## Dawgluver (Sep 21, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:
			
		

> I must admit that I have tried and enjoyed some of the  "fancier" stuffing recipes but, I always come back to the basic bread stuffing for turkey and chicken.



I'm with Aunt Bea.  I LOVE basic bread stuffing with celery and onions, maybe some mushrooms.


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## ThePunkHippie (Sep 21, 2012)

taxlady said:


> My mother was Danish and thought that bread stuffing was yucky. She made meatloaf inside of the bird.



That sounds AMAZING!


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 21, 2012)

The mother of all turkey stuffings:


*[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sausage, Apple, and Fennel Corn Bread Dressing[/FONT]*


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ingredients:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 cornbread (recipe follows)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 teaspoons olive oil[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]3 links (6 ounces) Italian sausage, without casing[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 cups finely chopped onion[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 bay leaf[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1½ cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ cup diced celery[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ cup diced fennel bulb[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 teaspoon minced garlic[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]½ teaspoon poultry seasoning[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ teaspoon salt[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1½ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 large eggs, lightly beaten[/FONT]
*[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Instructions:[/FONT]*

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]To prepare stuffing, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bay leaf; cook 8 minutes or until onion starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Add apple, celery, and fennel; cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Cool to room temperature. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Crumble corn bread into a large bowl. Add sausage mixture to bowl; toss to combine. Add broth and 2 eggs; toss to combine. Stuff the turkey. Spoon any remaining stufing into and appropriate size baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake for the last 50 minutes of the turkey roasting time, until top is crisp and golden brown. [/FONT]
 

Here's a cornbread you won't find too sweet:


*Cornbread*

*Ingredients:*


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 cups yellow cornmeal [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1½ cups flour [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 tsp salt [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 tsp baking powder [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 tsp baking soda [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]3 eggs, beaten [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1 Tbs vegetable oil, for skillet [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2 cups milk [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]¼ cup melted butter [/FONT]
*Preparation:*

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Preheat oven to 425°. Spread vegetable oil on the inside of a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in oven to preheat while making batter. [/FONT]
 
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and butter. Combine with dry ingredients and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Batter will be like a thick pancake batter.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Carefully, with heavy oven mitts, lift skillet out and turn to coat all of the inside surface with oil. Pour in batter and return to oven. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until browned. A toothpick inserted in center should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before using for stuffing. (I usually make my cornbread the night before)[/FONT]


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## Whiskadoodle (Sep 21, 2012)

One time/ actually several times since,  I used quite a bit of fresh rosemary and oranze zest and juice,  along with my usual go- to's for a bread stuffing.  Both flavors came thru very nicely and it was quite tasty.


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## bakechef (Sep 21, 2012)

I need to perfect stuffing, I haven't made it enough to be really good at it.  My partner absolutely loves stuffing, so I need to work on that.  My problem is that I either make it too dry or too wet, I need to find that happy medium.


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## Siegal (Sep 21, 2012)

bakechef said:
			
		

> I need to perfect stuffing, I haven't made it enough to be really good at it.  My partner absolutely loves stuffing, so I need to work on that.  My problem is that I either make it too dry or too wet, I need to find that happy medium.



I usually make it dry and baste it with poultry juices or stock as it cooks. Kind of like risotto I guess. That way not too dry or wet


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## Addie (Sep 21, 2012)

Whiskadoodle said:


> One time/ actually several times since, I used quite a bit of fresh rosemary and oranze zest and juice, along with my usual go- to's for a bread stuffing. Both flavors came thru very nicely and it was quite tasty.


 
Of all the herbs for flavoring, rosemary and cilantro are my least favorite. Pine sap and soap. YUK!


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## kadesma (Sep 21, 2012)

Dawgluver said:


> I'm with Aunt Bea.  I LOVE basic bread stuffing with celery and onions, maybe some mushrooms.


Me too, I saute the celery,onions,garlic then mix it into severl loaves of  bakery bread that I've cut the crusts off of 2 white and 2 wheat. I know its a lot but m y gang like Stuffing. I cut up the bread, and douse it with chicken stock and several cubes of melted butter. The addition of fruits and apples is not for me but many love it so we give them several choices, cranberry sauce,applesauce form our trees  out back,  and desserts make up the rest of the fruit. So as you can see it's plain ol bread stuffing for this gang. I got this idea here on DC from one of our members. I use to make the breads but I've gotten past that now being ill has turned me off the making bread for stuffing since I have a great bakery close by.
kades


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## Addie (Sep 21, 2012)

Somewhere is my collection of recipes, I have one for stuffing bread. It has all the herbs and spices already in it. I will have to go looking for it. I have made it a couple of times. Good enough to eat just as bread. Already has the pre sauteed mir pouix (sp?) in it. I love the aroma of it while it is baking.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 21, 2012)

Bread stuffing for me.  I used to sit on a stool and "help" Mom make it twice a year when I was little.  I was her official taster and I still make the same amount in the same way, it's the only way it tastes right to me.  Luckily Shrek likes it, too.


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## Addie (Sep 21, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Bread stuffing for me. I used to sit on a stool and "help" Mom make it twice a year when I was little. I was her official taster and I still make the same amount in the same way, it's the only way it tastes right to me. Luckily Shrek likes it, too.


 
We never leave our childhood completely behind us. Memories make sure of that.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 24, 2012)

I don't have a recipe, but 3/4 c wild rice + 1/2 c white rice (or brown), barley, lentils. Celery, onion, apple, raisins, chopped cranberries, walnuts (or pecans), mushrooms, bread (4 slices--dried), parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, S&P, melted butter, some chicken broth. You want enough moisture so that the dressing forms a ball when you mix it all together.


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## Addie (Sep 24, 2012)

So now that we have the stuffing, do you put it in the bird or bake it separately. I do both. I always make extra because it is always the big hit of the meal. But I make a couple of roasted chickens. We don't like turkey.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 24, 2012)

Mine goes in the bird (under the breast skin, neck, and butt). I put the rest in a casserole. I only stuff turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We generally eat turkey 1x/month from October until April. We buy turkey when it is on special in the fall and buy enough to eat it once/month until April (when it gets too warm to have the oven on long enough to roast a turkey). We prefer turkey instead of chicken (we have an issue re: eating chicken...)


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## jennyema (Sep 24, 2012)

If you put the stuffing in the bird make sure it comes to at least 165 or it's unsafe to eat.  It would be like eating undercooked poultry.

If your bird is done before the stuffing, take it out and finish it up to temp in a casserole dish in the oven.


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## Whiskadoodle (Sep 24, 2012)

That's a good point Jennyema. Not sure how many of us do this. Although I think most of us are still alive. I check the meat w/ a thermometer, never have considered the stuffing.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 24, 2012)

I have two remote digital probes. I use one for the stuffing and one for the thickest part of the thigh.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 24, 2012)

I check both--the stuffing and the meat.


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## LindaZ (Sep 25, 2012)

ThePunkHippie said:


> I'm planning on roasting up a turkey next Sunday, & I usually make the same stuffing (bread, thyme, oregano, sage, enough butter to make it stick together)
> I'd like to try something different though. I've tried cornbread stuffing in the past & thought it was too sweet to go well with the other flavours.
> 
> Suggestions?


 
I do a basic bread stuffing for turkey but here's my method - toast the bread and cut up in small cubes before mixing, it holds up better and doesn't get mushy. Lightly saute onions, celery and mushrooms in butter and add poultry seasoning to taste. Cook sage flavored pork sausage until no longer pink and add to stuffing. I take the giblets and cook with onion and celery to make stock and I use that to moisten the stuffing. The giblet liquid and butter from the onion/celery mixture is usually enough to moisten without getting soggy. Mix it all well and stuff it in the bird and cook for the recommended time.  It's never failed me.


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## jennyema (Sep 25, 2012)

The stuffing has absorbed all the raw blood and juices from the turkey as well as all the bacteria from the cavity.

You dont want to be eating that if its not killed.


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## bakechef (Sep 29, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Bread stuffing for me.  I used to sit on a stool and "help" Mom make it twice a year when I was little.  I was her official taster and I still make the same amount in the same way, it's the only way it tastes right to me.  Luckily Shrek likes it, too.



My mom would sit me at the dining table and I would toast a couple loaves of bread for the stuffing.   I would then tear it up for her.  This was back when you would have to let the toaster cool down or it would make terrible noise, so it would take a while!


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## bakechef (Sep 29, 2012)

Addie said:
			
		

> Somewhere is my collection of recipes, I have one for stuffing bread. It has all the herbs and spices already in it. I will have to go looking for it. I have made it a couple of times. Good enough to eat just as bread. Already has the pre sauteed mir pouix (sp?) in it. I love the aroma of it while it is baking.



I made some last year and blogged about it.   I used bells seasoning, and it was good.   This would make great left over turkey sandwich!


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 30, 2012)

Stuff it with a goat.  Or maybe the turkey goes in the goat I can't remember anymore.  Just try and see if it fits.


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## CraigC (Sep 30, 2012)

We stopped stuffing the turkey since we started brining. The "stuffing" has now become dressing. I prefer an herb dressing. The best part is the after dinner sandwich! Bread, mayo, turkey, dressing, jellied cranberry, S&P.


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## Addie (Sep 30, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I made some last year and blogged about it. I used bells seasoning, and it was good. This would make great left over turkey sandwich!


 
Oh my. Will just have to try and find that recipe. That bread is so good. I have made it in the past. I do remember I sauteed the celery and carrots prior to mixing them in with the bread dough. I suppos if I just made my standard bread dough and winged it from there, I could do it again.


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## taxlady (Sep 30, 2012)

Addie said:


> Oh my. Will just have to try and find that recipe. That bread is so good. I have made it in the past. I do remember I sauteed the celery and carrots prior to mixing them in with the bread dough. I suppos if I just made my standard bread dough and winged it from there, I could do it again.


Wing it, but take notes.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 30, 2012)

I always salt and rinse the inside cavity, pat it dry. That's how my grandma did it. I haven't gotten food poisoning or died yet. I've been eating turkey with stuffing going on 50 some years. Safe food handling practices are key. I also don't stuff the bird until it is time to pop it in the oven. Most of the time, however, I just roast the bird and don't stuff it. Stuffing is for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Not sure how many turkeys we'll buy this year--the lowest advertised price here is $1.27/lb. In the past, we could get utility grade turkeys around this time of year for 99 cents/lb. A reflection of the higher feed costs, gas, processing?


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## Addie (Sep 30, 2012)

When my kids were small, one year I bought a turkey. It was $.49 a pound. Then Son #1 won one at the H.S. drawing. I knew the woman next door couldn't afford to buy one to feed her large family. And I also knew she was proud and wouldn't accept charity. So I sold it to her for $.10 a pound. It was a fifteen pounder. But I took the label off and told her it was a ten pounder. So she paid me the $1.00.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 30, 2012)

Addie said:


> When my kids were small, one year I bought a turkey. It was $.49 a pound. Then Son #1 won one at the H.S. drawing. I knew the woman next door couldn't afford to buy one to feed her large family. And I also knew she was proud and wouldn't accept charity. So I sold it to her for $.10 a pound. It was a fifteen pounder. But I took the label off and told her it was a ten pounder. So she paid me the $1.00.


+1There is a star in heaven with your name on it!


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## Addie (Sep 30, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> +1There is a star in heaven with your name on it!


 
Thank you. I am a sucker for kids in need. I can't stand the thought of a hungry child. Or even missing out on a special holiday. That's why I give to the food bank every month. Cereal and a large jar or two of jelly so they can take a sandwich to school. The bank has plenty of peanut butter. I just wish I could convince some of the residents here to do the same occasionally. I would even deliver it for them. Even though the food bank is just a five minute walk away.


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## The Barry Cook (Oct 5, 2012)

1. Bake loaf of bread adding sage, fresh oregano, thyme, fresh parsley chopped & poultry seasoning. The aroma of the bread will make the kitchen smell wonderful. This should be done a few days ahead of time.
2. Dice bread into 1/2 " cubes and dry for a few days. Toast in oven.
3. Fry up a diced large onion & a few stocks of celery in butter until translucent. In a large bowl add to bread cubes & mix with a tablespoon of poultry spice and turkey stock until moist.
4. Roast in oven at 325 to 350°F covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover & brown 15 minutes
5. The hit of the Turkey Dinner. MMM MMM good


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## bakechef (Oct 5, 2012)

Addie said:


> Oh my. Will just have to try and find that recipe. That bread is so good. I have made it in the past. I do remember I sauteed the celery and carrots prior to mixing them in with the bread dough. I suppos if I just made my standard bread dough and winged it from there, I could do it again.



I just took a white bread recipe and "winged" it!  The house smelled wonderful!  The next time, I make it I'll put in even more herbs, my SO is a stuffing fanatic!


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## Addie (Oct 5, 2012)

bakechef said:


> I just took a white bread recipe and "winged" it! The house smelled wonderful! The next time, I make it I'll put in even more herbs, my SO is a stuffing fanatic!


 
I need a family so I can make this stuffing bread again. My daughter is not eating too much now. The chemo has already started to affect her appetite. We are having a Columbus Day Parade on Sunday. It is a big thing here. She always had a houseful of company and plenty of food. Not this year. But I think I will try to make something that will appeal to her. Maybe just a bowl of stuffing. She loves it.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 8, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> I don't have a recipe, but 3/4 c wild rice + 1/2 c white rice (or brown), barley, lentils. Celery, onion, apple, raisins, chopped cranberries, walnuts (or pecans), mushrooms, bread (4 slices--dried), parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, S&P, melted butter, some chicken broth. You want enough moisture so that the dressing forms a ball when you mix it all together.


Okay, I measured and wrote everything down.

My Grandma's Turkey Stuffing = my way
The rice base: (I make this the day before and put it in the fridge)

Ingredients for the rice base: 

240 g Dried European Blend Mushrooms (http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/European%20Blend%20Mushrooms.htm) (or not) - rehydrated in 500 ml warm water for 30 minutes
50 g pearl (or pot) barley
50 g lentils (I used regular lentils)
120 g long-grain brown rice
200 g natural wild rice 
1000 ml water (use the water from the mushrooms and top it up or, if you don't add the mushrooms use turkey or chicken broth)
1 T celery leaves, fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley - minced
1 tsp poultry seasoning (I use a homemade blend that includes lemon zest)
dash of soy sauce

Directions:

1. Soak the mushrooms.
2. Rinse the rice, etc., until water run cleans (pick over lentils)
3. Put the water, herbs, seasoning, and soy sauce in a large pan.
4. Bring to boil.
5. Add wild rice, cover, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add brown rice, simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add barley and mushrooms, simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add lentils and simmer another 10-15 minutes (until liquid is absorbed).
9. Remove lid, fluff, and remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.

Ingredients for the stuffing:

2-4 slices dried bread (not toasted--still a bit moist in the middle--this time I used the Turkey Stuffing Bread--I sliced it about 1 inch thick and left it out to dry 24 hours. This morning I put it in a 200 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, turning the oven off after 5 minutes)
1 stick butter, melted
1 c turkey or chicken stock
1-2 chopped apples (Granny Smith or MacIntosh)
1/2 to 3/4 c chopped cranberries (in FP)
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1-1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c onion, diced
2-3 T (or more) of the chopped fresh herbs
poultry seasoning (to taste)

Directions:
1. Saute 1-1/2 c chopped celery and 1/2 c chopped onion until the onion is limp.
2. Tear bread into chunks.
3. In a large bowl (I use a huge SS bowl), combine the celery, onion, bread, rice mixture, apples, cranberries, nuts. Add melted butter, blend (I do this with my hands). Add sufficient amount of stock for the stuffing to form a ball when you squeeze it in your hand. 
4. Let cool to room temperature. 
5. I use cheesecloth to line the cavity of the turkey. Fill the cavity, Tuck the loose ends of the cheese cloth around the stuffing. sew / skewer the opening closed.
6. Separate the skin from the breast meat. Stuff. Stuff the crop. Sew/skewer shut. 
7. Roast as you usually do. When the turkey is done, test the temperature of the dressing. Remove the cheesecloth "pouch" and remove the stuffing. Serve.


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## Addie (Oct 8, 2012)

CW, I too have used the cheesecloth for the stuffing. But I lay it out and place the stuffing on it, then tie it up and stick it in the bird. One less step with no sewing. I also use skewers to hold the stuffing in the bird. Just two skewers across the opening with some twine criss cross holds it all in. I was not looking to close the opening, just hold the stuffing bag in. For the neck, I would loosen the skin, place the stuffing in and under the skin, secure the flap with skewers and any leftover stuffing went into a casserole dish and baked separately. I always added a little extra chicken or turkey stock to it because it wasn't going to be getting the benefit of the juices of the bird. I used the gizzards for the stock for the dressing. Toss them in a small saucepan with a cut up carrot and celery and onion. Don't bother to peel them. The skins add flavor and color. Some years around September, I would pick up some turkey legs and simmer them for the stock. The meat came off for turkey salad sandwiches for the kids lunches. It was a change from their standard bag lunches.


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