A Thanksgiving to be Thankful For!!

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Smokey Bacon Biscuit Stuffing

We're back from our family road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. Our daughter and hubbie hosted their first BIG holiday dinner and it was a huge success! The food was incredible! We deep-fried the turkey (Southern style) and there wasn't a morsel of that bird left!

The newest recipe to add to my recipe box is straight from Williams-Sonoma. If you haven't already seen it, here it is for you. My daughter served it for the holiday dinner and I highly recommend it!

Smokey Bacon Biscuit Dressing


Twelve 4-inch cream biscuits, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb. sliced smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 yellow onions, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 cups chicken stock
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Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.
Spread the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but 3 Tbs. of the fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage and thyme and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the biscuits and stock and stir to combine.
Transfer the dressing to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more.

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Italian Turkey Stuffing

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I am sure that everyone is also busy readying for the holidays. Last year we were fortunate enough to serve the needy in our community in our local soup kitchen. Then we simply ate out at an inexpensive buffet restaurant because all of our family members were visiting their other family (of their spouses, etc.). So we just did not fix that great big meal and did not have all the clean up that goes along with it afterwards.



Serving others was a very soul-satisfying experience for us and we hope that you will participate in helping others in their need for food as well. You'll know when it is right for you to do this.

Anyhow, here is a fantastic Italian recipe that I found in Gourmet magazine YEARS AGO! I have adjusted the spices "down" to a level more satisfying to my family. The original recipe was far too spicy to eat.

Turkey Stuffing Italiano

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20 oz. loaf of home-made bread, sliced, toasted, buttered, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.....(you can also buy and bake frozen bread dough for this)

1 Tbsp. crumbled dried thyme

1 tsp. crumbled dried sage

1 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary (or less since it is so strong)

salt & pepper to taste

3 chopped onions

1 1/2 cups chopped celery & leaves

1 stick plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

one turkey liver, gizzard, and heart -- all chopped

1 pound pork sausage . . . plus 1 tsp. garlic powder

8 oz. whole milk mozzarella cheese (fresh if possible), cut into 1/4" cubes

2 oz. pepperoni, cut into 1/8" tiny, tiny bits

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In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the thyme, sage, rosemary . . . salt and pepper to taste.

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In a skillet, cook the onions, celery, AND celery leaves in 9 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat until softened and tender (about 8 to 10 minutes) stirring occasionally and then add this to the bowl of bread cubes.

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In the skillet, cook the giblets in 2 Tbsp. of butter over moderate heat, stirring for 4 minutes or until they are browned . . . adding salt & pepper to taste. Add this mixture to the bread cube mixture.

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In the skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it into pieces, over moderate heat until it is cooked through. Add 1 tsp. garlic and some salt. Add this to the bread cube mixture.

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Add the mozzarella, pepperoni to the bread mixture....toss completely and let cool completely.

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CAN BE MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE! Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to stuff the turkey or bake separately (or both). The aroma will simply amaze you when you open your refrigerator!

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I hope that you enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday recipe gift . . . and that you thank God for your many blessings, no matter how large or small !

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