Wednesday, December 18, 2013

No Boxed Stuffing Allowed - Charlotte Copper

No Boxed Stuffing Allowed
Charlotte Copper
http://charlottecopperauthor.com


When I was little, we used to drive down to my uncle’s house in Buffalo, NY for Christmas. I remember it fondly because he always had 3 trees: one decorated in red, one in blue & green, and one in silver & gold. I had hoped to do the same when I grew up, but alas I only have space for one tree in my living room.

On Christmas morning he’d hang a sheet over the living room entrance, and we weren’t allowed to go in – not even peek – until we’d all eaten breakfast. The wait drove me crazy as a child, and it was one of the few days of the year that my mother actually ate breakfast!

I also remember it because of the food. He’d make a huge turkey dinner that took hours to cook. He’d spend at least an hour peeling & chopping all the vegetables. And...he’d stuff the turkey with stuffing from a box!

With all that time, effort and love put into the meal, why use stuffing from a box? If you want it during the week with pork chops or chicken, go for it. But I would like to establish a rule: There should be NO boxed stuffing allowed at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you are a box-stuffing-abuser, I’d like to help you out. My mom’s turkey stuffing is easy and awesome, and is attached below as my Christmas present to you.

Better-than-boxed turkey stuffing

12 slices of bread – ripped into quarter & nickel size pieces (My mom used to always let the bread sit out over night to grow a little stale first. Me? Well, I’m not that organized.)
1 small onion – chopped
2 celery stalks – chopped
1 pepper – chopped (my mom used green pepper, I prefer to use red)
10ml poultry seasoning
5 ml sage
2 ml oregano
2 ml thyme
2 ml pepper
2 ml garlic salt
Throw it all into a large bowl & toss.
Add equal amounts (about ¼ - ½ cup each) of melted butter & boiling water....Enough to moisten without soaking.
Then taste – add in more of whatever spices you like – taste some more. Repeat as necessary.
Stuff as much into your turkey as possible. Extras can be cooked in a casserole dish, but require much less time in the oven.
And that is it. See how easy?

For conversion:
10 ml = 2 teaspoons
5 ml = 1 teaspoon
2 ml = ½ teaspoon


p.s. I’d like to apologize to anyone who is employed by a company that makes boxed stuffing. a Rafflecopter giveaway

4 comments:

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)

Hope your Christmas is wonderful! Take care!

Debra St. John said...

We never ever had boxed stuffing with turkey. My mom always made it homemade from scratch. My hubby's mom does, too. and it's interesting how different their recipes are.

Lilly Gayle said...

I confess. I stuffed my turkey with boxed stuffing on Thanksgiving this year. I simply ran out of time!! But last year, I made it from scratch. Maybe next year, I'll try your mom's recipe. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Thank you all for stopping by. May you have a wonderful, no-box stuffing Christmas!