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THANKSGIVING TURKEY STUFFING
RECIPES
Try one of these 4 great stuffing recipes:
Easy Traditional Stuffing
Turkey and Fruit Stuffing Recipe
Oyster Stuffing Recipe
Herb Sausage Stuffing Recipe
Apple Raisin Stuffing
EASY TRADITIONAL STUFFING
1 (1 pound) loaf sliced Italian bread
3/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 - 5 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Let bread slices air dry for at least 3-4 hours, then tear into
small pieces.
In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and celery until soft. Season
mixture with poultry seasoning,
sage, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread pieces until evenly coated.
(This is easiest with your hands.) Moisten
slowly with chicken broth; mix well. Don't over moisten or
stuffing will be soggy. You can stuff your turkey or
bake along side in a casserole dish for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
UNBELIEVABLE TURKEY AND FRUIT STUFFING
1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
1 lb ground turkey sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored, finely chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
3/4 cup turkey stock
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
On a cookie sheet place cubed bread in a single layer. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 5 minutes until bread is toasted. Remove from oven and place in a large mixing bowl. Over medium high heat cook sausage and onions together. Be sure to break up sausage so there are no large clumps. Once sausage is cooked through add celery, sage, rosemary and thyme. Cook for approximately 3 minutes being sure to stir often to blend flavors together. Once sausage mixture is cooked add to toasted bread. Blend in apples, cranberries, parsley and liver. Add melted butter and turkey stock to mixture and blend well making sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Stuff turkey with mixture.
This will stuff a 10 pound turkey.
OYSTER STUFFING
2 medium onions, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 cup butter
7 cups of 7 day old French bread cubed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 8-ounce can oysters, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
Sauté onion and celery in butter in large skillet
until soft. Add oysters. Cook until they curl, about 5
minutes. Combine bread, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and
pepper in a large bowl; stir in broth gradually. Mix gently
until moistened.
This will stuff a 12 pound turkey.
HERB SAUSAGE STUFFING
1 cup butter
3 cups celery, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. bulk port sausage, browned
1 lb. bread crumbs cubes for stuffing
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth
Sauté celery, mushrooms and onions in butter, add
browned sausage and all the seasonings. Simmer three
minutes. Put bread cubes in a large bowl. Add the beaten egg.
Stir in sautéed vegetables. Add enough of the chicken broth
to moisten.
This will stuff a 21-24 pound turkey.
APPLE RAISIN STUFFING
3/4 cup of minced onion
1 1/2 cups of chopped celery
1 cup of butter
7 cups of soft bread cubes
1 tablespoon of salt
3 cups of finely chopped apples
3/4 cup of raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed sage leaves
1 teaspoon of thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
In large skillet, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until
onion is tender. Stir in about 1/3 of bread cubes. Turn into deep
bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Stuff turkey just before
roasting. Yield 9 cups enough for a 12 pound turkey.
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Thanksgiving is a special time for family and friends.
Thanksgiving is the only holiday that the sole focus is the meal.
Pulling
together the perfect Thanksgiving turkey & stuffing dinner can be a daunting
task, whether this is your first time or you are a seasoned pro.
Here at DinnerPlanner.com, we thought we'd help by offering some tips
for how to cook a perfect thanksgiving turkey, as well as some Thanksgiving
Dinner Ideas & Recipes.
HOW TO COOK A PERFECT THANKSGIVING
TURKEY
HOW BIG A TURKEY SHOULD I BUY?
The general rule of thumb is to allow about 1 lb. of turkey per person. If you would like leftovers, buy a larger bird. If you are having 10 people for dinner, then get at least a 10 lb. turkey. While no one is going to eat 1 lb. of turkey on Thanksgiving, this estimate is based on the total weight of the turkey, including all the waste, as we all know a 10 lb. turkey doesn't have 10 lbs. of meat.
Choose your turkey based on how many people you are serving, and
whether you want leftovers or not.
A large turkey is great
value, but only if you either have a large group to serve, or would
like leftovers for sandwiches for the next week!
Thaw the turkey in the package wrap in the refrigerator. You
must think ahead of time for this, as it takes several days. Allow
about a day for every 4 lbs. of turkey. In other words, a 20 lb.
turkey will take about 5 days in the refrigerator. There is a
"faster" way of thawing a turkey also. Place the unopened
turkey in a sinkful of cold water, completely covering the turkey.
You will have to change the water about every half hour to keep the
turkey cold. Allow about 30 minutes per pound to thaw this way. So,
a 20-lb. turkey will take about 10 hours. Not exactly convenient
with changing the water every half hour, but it is an effective
method, especially if you've forgotten to thaw the turkey
beforehand!
When you're ready to roast the turkey, locate and remove the giblet
bag and neck in the turkey cavity. Rinse the turkey inside and out
with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey,
breast-side up, on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan.
(Disposable pans, available at the grocery store this time of the
year, are great here!).
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Brush or spray the skin of the turkey with oil or butter to prevent
it from drying too much. This will also help the skin turn a nice
brown in color. Keep your eye on the turkey; after a couple of hours
you should cover the top of the turkey, including the top of the
legs, with aluminum foil to prevent the skin and the breast from
becoming overcooked and drying out. Insert a meat thermometer into
the thickest part of the breast, but don't touch the bone. The
turkey will be done when the internal temperature reaches 170
degrees and the juices are clear. You can also place the thermometer
in the thigh, making sure not to touch the bone here either. Roast
until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees if inserted in
the thigh. Usually, frozen turkeys also come with directions on the
package and a roasting chart which is accurate. Find the weight of
your turkey on the chart, and roast accordingly. It's a pretty
foolproof method! Also, if you are lucky enough to find one of the
turkeys with the "pop up" thermometer, these seem to work
well, too. I have never used a meat thermometer, just roasted
according to the times given, and I've never had a problem. Start
checking to see if the turkey is done about a half hour before the
chart time indicates.
If you stuff your turkey, follow these few tips.
Sautee your
vegetables- celery, onions, etc. prior to adding to stuffing mix. If
you add sausage, oysters, or other meats, make sure they are cooked
before adding to the stuffing mix also. Stuff right before you put
the turkey in the oven; because of health concerns this can't be
done in advance. Fill both the neck and body cavities loosely with
the stuffing; don't pack tightly. You will, however, need to roast
the turkey longer if you choose to place your stuffing in the
cavity. If you choose to cook the stuffing in a casserole dish, you
can add it to the oven (if there's room!) during the last 30-45
minutes of roasting time. If you don't have room, you can cook the
stuffing ahead of time and reheat later.
Your approximate roasting times, thanks to our friends at the
Butterball.com website, are listed below but are not hard and fast.
It could easily take a bit longer or less time than indicated. Don't
panic if this is the case. When the turkey is removed from the oven,
let it stand at least 15 minutes before carving. Don't forget to
take pictures! See cooking time for thanksgiving turkey
below. As always, email us if you have any questions. Melissa
& Sue
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This year, try your hand at some homemade
traditional stuffing. |
DELIGHTFUL MASHED POTATOES
6-8 Medium Potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1 8 oz. carton sour cream
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. dried chives
Preheat oven to 325. Peel potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Bring
a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook potatoes
until tender. Drain potatoes and place back in the pan.
Whip potatoes and add milk, sour cream, cream cheese, 2 Tbsp.
butter, salt, pepper, and chives while whipping. Pour into a
baking dish and dot with 2 Tbsp. butter. Bake for 20-25
minutes.
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