Good Stuffing

My mom has always made the best Thanksgiving stuffing (or "dressing" if you'd rather) for as long as I can remember. But I have to say that as I've grown older and started making my own, I am thinking that mine could probably stand up to hers in a blind taste test.



Thanksgiving being just around the corner, I can't help but post my own recipe for stuffing that has been altered from my mom's original.

Good Stuffing
1 stick butter (reserve 2 Tbsp for sauteing, melt the rest)
1 loaf bread (any bread will do, even leftover hamburger/hot dog buns)
1 medium-sized yellow onion
2 ribs celery (include the green leaves too--that adds lots of flavor!)
mushrooms
ground sausage (optional)
1-2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1 C. milk

Night before: Using a pair of scissors, cube up the bread onto a cookie sheet, making about 1-inch cubes. (No one will be measuring though, so just eyeball it. ;o)) Spread evenly and leave to dry overnight. If you don't have overnight, you can spread the cubed bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes on low heat in the oven.

Cooking day: Chop onion and celery into smallish pieces. Slice mushrooms. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a skillet. Over medium-high heat, saute the chopped veggies with a pinch of salt until tender and soft, not too browned. (I like to add a little bit of poultry seasoning to the veggies for some added yumminess.) Remove veggies from pan, then add the sausage. Brown the meat, then add back the veggies and stir to combine. Set aside.

Start preheating your oven now to 350 degrees.

Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add cubed bread. Shake poultry seasoning and pepper over the cubed bread. Pour the rest of the butter (melted) over the bread and give a light toss. Pour the veggie-meat mixture over the bread and lightly toss again.

Pour the milk evenly over the entire dish. (NOTE: You may need a little more depending on how dry your bread is. Just make sure there isn't a whole lot pooling at the bottom of the dish. A little pooling is fine.) Toss a little more.

TIP: You can toss all the prepared ingredients in a large mixing bowl to make it easier, then add it, completely tossed, into the casserole dish. But sometimes it's worth the extra effort to just be careful and toss in the casserole dish itself so you don't have to clean another bowl. ;o)

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and delicious and you can smell Thanksgiving in your house.

Ruth Lauer’s Brunch Casserole

In case you didn't catch it, my friend MamaMentor left a recipe on the comments of my breakfast casserole. Looks like a yummy one. Who doesn't like potato chips as a topping? YUM!

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MamaMentor says: Here's my favorite breakfast casserole. We have it on Christmas and Easter and other special occasions!

Ruth Lauer’s Brunch Casserole

Butter a 9x13 pan, then line it with trimmed slices of bread. Layer with ham or cooked sausage, then grated cheese, then more bread.

Mix in blender and pour over:

6 eggs
1 green pepper, chopped
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3 cups milk
½ onion, chopped
Red and/or black pepper to taste

Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 350˚. Meanwhile, melt 1 stick margarine and pour over casserole. Top with crushed potato chips. Bake 1 hour at 350˚. Makes 12 servings.

This casserole varies widely in character depending on your choice of meat, bread and cheese. Using good wholegrain bread makes it much heartier. You can use any kind of cheese, but we normally use sharp cheddar because we want it to taste cheesy!

Mrs. Brantley's Spice Tea Mix

My friend MamaMentor graciously emailed me this alternate recipe for Russian Tea that she uses. Her recipe and comments follow.

Mrs. Brantley's Spice Tea Mix

1 C. Tang
1 C. sugar
1 C. instant tea powder
1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (or to taste)
1 small package lemonade mix (the kind that makes 2 quarts)

Mix together and keep in an airtight container. Add a couple of heaping spoonfuls to a cup of hot water and stir.

I often give this as a gift at Christmas time. Mrs. Brantley was my "dorm mother" in college.

Breakfast Casserole

"Refrigerator Velcro" is a term I learned from Alton Brown of Food Network's Good Eats. It refers to any recipe that is versatile enough to use up just about any leftovers in the fridge. My favorite fridge velcro recipe is Breakfast Casserole.



It's excellent for brunch potlucks because it's a hot dish with protein, and it is really easy to throw together the night before for baking in the morning.

Breakfast Casserole

Whole package of ground sausage OR bacon
8-12 oz. of a green vegetable, chopped (broccoli is best; spinach
works, but do add extra salt because the flavor can be overpowering;
red and/or green bell peppers would be good too; asparagus works if chopped)
Onion, chopped
Bread (enough to line the bottom of a casserole dish; use ANY bread item you have--fresh or stale--sliced bread is good; bagels are awesome; hot dog buns are handy; and don't be afraid to mix different kinds)
Softened butter (not melted)
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
12 eggs
2 C. milk (whole is tastiest, but anything will do)
1 spoonful Mustard (prepared; Dijon is great if you have it, but doesn't matter)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a largeish skillet, saute onions and brown the sausage. (If using bacon, drain and crumble when crisp, then saute onions.) Add veggies to the pan and cook/heat through.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Lightly butter the bread, then line the bottom of the pan with buttered side up. Pour meat/veggies mixture evenly over the bread. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper together until blended. Pour egg mixture evenly into the pan. Refrigerate overnight (best) or bake immediately.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 60 minutes or until the eggs have set. Served best at room temperature (as opposed to piping hot).

Enjoy experimenting with this!