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



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.

Thanksgiving. A special time for family and friends. One of the beauties of Thanksgiving is its simplicity from a holiday standpoint. It is the only holiday that the sole focus is the meal. No elaborate decorations to put up weeks ahead of time. No shopping until you drop and are broke. No presents to wrap. However, pulling together the perfect Thanksgiving turkey dinner can be a daunting task, whether this is your first time or you are a seasoned pro. Here at DinnerPlanner, we thought we'd help by offering some tips for how to cook a perfect thanksgiving turkey, as well as some tasty side dish recipes. 

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a delicious meal, and enjoy this special time to be thankful for family and friends! 


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

This year, try your hand at some homemade traditional stuffing.