Happy Thankgiving!

Our front entryway during this season

I hope that all of you have a lovely Thanksgiving Day as we take time to reflect on the blessings we've been given. And may we not confine our gratitude to one day out of the year. Let our hearts always be thankful, rejoicing in the Lord and His goodness.

The Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate Part Two

Yesterday I posted my first stuffing recipe using onions and sausage as a flavorful base. It was handed down to me by my husband's grandmother, a native of Michigan. Today I'm going to post a Southern recipe, chicken and cornbread dressing. It can be served as a main dish or a side dish.

Here's what you need:

2 cups cooked shredded chicken (check out my tip for easily shredding chicken)
Jiffy Mix corn muffin mix, baked according to the package directions
1 1/2 teas poultry seasoning (feel free to use less, we like ours really savory)
1 teas salt
1 teas onion powder
1/2 teas black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2-3 cups chicken broth

Start by breaking up the baked cornbread into crumbs. Combine with the shredded chicken in a large bowl. Add seasonings.


Stir in the beaten egg. Then add 2 cups chicken broth. Make sure all of the cornbread crumbs and chicken are moist. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so the crumbs can soak up all the lovely moisture. Now if you like a really moist dressing, add a little more broth until you reach the consistency you like.


Spread the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Cut into squares and serve. Around here most people make chicken gravy to pour over the top, but we prefer ours plain.


If you're cooking for a crowd, simply double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan. Your cooking time will increase slightly, too.

So, where do you stand in the Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate? Do you make stuffing or dressing? Cornbread or plain bread? Sweet or savory?

I've shared this recipe over at Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Head over there to check out some more yummy recipes.

The Great Stuffing/Dressing Debate Part One

At this time of year, people everywhere are discussing whether they're serving stuffing or dressing with their Thanksgiving dinner. I know, this is one of those life-altering debates that could change how you view the world! Not!

But do you call the dish stuffing if you don't actually stuff the turkey with it? Should it actually be called dressing? Am I the only one who thinks about such silly things?

Growing up, my knowledge of stuffing was limited to Stove Top in a box. No one that I knew made their own from scratch. Then I moved South and found out it's a tradition to make homemade stuffing.

And that in itself is cause for debate. Some people swear that cornbread stuffing is the only way to go. Then you have people who moved here from the North bringing all kinds of weird combinations like oysters and cranberries. I've even seen people put pineapple in their stuffing! No kidding!

To sum it up, I've found that no two stuffing recipes are exactly alike. And you know what, I'm good with that. I love being able to take a basic idea and add my own flavorful twists to it.

So today I'll share with you a recipe handed down to me from my husband's grandmother who was raised in Michigan. It's a savory sausage combination that makes my mouth water! Tomorrow I'll share a traditional Southern chicken and cornbread recipe given to me by a member of my church who is renowned for his Southern cooking.

Savory Sausage Stuffing - this needs to sit overnight, so plan ahead

1 loaf of white sandwich bread, cubed
1 lb. bulk sausage
4-5 large onions, chopped
1 teas rubbed sage
1 egg, beaten
1 quart milk

Place the bread cubes on baking sheets and brown in the oven until toasted. I heat my oven to 400 degrees, so it takes 10-15 minutes. Check often and stir so all the bread gets evenly toasted.


While the bread is toasting, cook the sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chopped onions and cook in the sausage drippings until translucent and starting to brown. Sprinkle with sage as the onions cook.


In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, sausage and onions. Pour the beaten egg and 2 cups of milk over all. With a large spoon, stir to mix well. I usually just dig my hands in there and get everything mixed together. The stuffing should be very moist. Add more milk if needed. I usually add another cup or so because we like moist stuffing.


If you plan to stuff your turkey with this, set aside as much as you need. Then pat the rest of the stuffing into a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

About 90 minutes before serving, take the pan out of the fridge and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Check to see if the stuffing has dried out too much. If so, pour a little more milk over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until browned.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

We truly do have so much to be thankful for, don't we?





I hope you have a joyous day, reflecting on your blessings with friends and family.

Thanksgiving Prep - Do it now!

We're having some dear friends over for Thanksgiving, but we started preparing today. By preparing, I mean my husband washed the china and glassware we'll be using. Tomorrow he'll do the silverware. Why don't I do it, you ask? Well, he actually likes to do it. So I graciously give him the joy of doing it for me.

Besides giving your tableware a quick cleaning, here are some more tips to save yourself some effort and headache on the big day.

1. Thaw the turkey. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many cooks forget until the day before. And if you have a large turkey, that's not going to be long enough. Allow one day for each 5 lbs of bird. Since I'm brining ours, I'll start thawing it now, then place it in the brine Tuesday night. Should be perfect. (If you've never brined a turkey, I cannot urge you strongly enough to try it! It makes such a huge difference in the moistness of the meat. The salt solution actually helps seal in the juices.)

2. Bake your pies ahead of time. This is such a huge time saver when it comes time to get the meal ready. Stick them in the freezer until Wednesday night. Place them in the fridge and they'll be wonderfully thawed by morning. If you like your pies warm, just pop them into the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.

3. Write down each dish and the ingredients that go into each one. Check to make sure you have all the ingredients you need. Again, sounds like a no-brainer. But I know from experience that if I don't glance over the recipes and take note of the ingredients, inevitably on Thanksgiving Day, I'm going to realize I don't have the sage or cranberries or something that I need. Check off each ingredient as you verify its presence on your cupboard or purchase it from the store.

4. Make your place cards. If you're having guests, place cards add such a special touch to the table. I mean, how often do you use place cards when you sit down to dinner? Your family knows where to sit, right? But when you have guests, it's nice to have a place already in mind for them.

We're going to use the Martha Stewart printable ones here.

Here is some more inspiration from TipJunkie.

And if you want your kids to get involved, you'll find some fingerprint turkeys here and here.

5. Determine if you can prepare any dishes in advance. Cranberry sauce can be made a day or two ahead. Casseroles can be put together the night before then baked when needed on Thanksgiving Day. Even dinner rolls can be prepared early and reheated in the oven prior to serving. Look at your menu to see if there are any shortcuts that can be done before Thanksgiving.

What about you? Do you have any tips to share that make your Thanksgiving prep easier?

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, no one else in my family does. The only time I eat sweet potatoes is around the holidays when there are other people to help me eat them. And even then, most sweet potato casseroles are loaded with sugar and calories, so I only eat a little.

When I stumbled across this recipe on the Food Network website, I was eager to try it. Ellie Krieger is one of my favorite FN chefs and she's well-known for reworking recipes to make them lower in fat and calories. I tweaked it a bit and added some spices I knew I'd like.

The results were amazing! This dish has all the wonderful goodness of sweet potatoes with a LOT less fat and calories. If you're looking to "lighten up" your Thanksgiving menu, give this a try.

Here's what you'll need:

2 lbs sweet potatoes (this will be about 3 large potatoes, depending on their size)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP honey
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas ginger

Peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces. Try to make them all the same size so they bake evenly.


In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until potatoes are tender. Stir every 10 minutes or so.


I loved how the potatoes were a little crispy on the outside and so tender on the inside. The honey added just the right amount of sweetness while the cinnamon and ginger gave the dish a hint of warmth. And they smelled so yummy, too!

For more yummy recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. This week it's being hosted at At the Well.

Mashed potatoes, the easy way!

This year I'm making fake mashed potatoes. I confess, my mashed potatoes are coming out of a box. I can hear the gasps of disbelief. It goes against everything that is traditional about Thanksgiving to use fake mashed potatoes. But honestly, the instant stuff IS made from real potatoes. It says so on the box!

In the interest of saving time and money, I'm going with the boxed stuff. It will be okay.

7 cups water
1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 teas garlic powder
2 teas salt (optional)
2 TBSP dried minced onion
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened and cubed
16 oz sour cream
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 box (15.3 oz) instant mashed potatoes (I used Hungry Jack but any will do)
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a large saucepan, heat water, butter, garlic powder, salt and minced onion to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, sour cream and milk until smooth. Stir in potato flakes until well combined. Spread potatoes into the prepared pan. Sprinkle paprika over the top. Bake 30-45 minutes until bubbling around the edges and golden brown on top. The paprika will help form a nice crust. You can also sprinkle on bacon bits or parsley when you take it out of the oven.

If you want to make this ahead of time, cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours. Remove from fridge, sprinkle with paprika and bake as directed above.

Thanksgiving - We're going to brine the turkey!

As I mentioned before, we're hosting hubby's family next week for Thanksgiving. I haven't cooked many turkeys because usually we're the guests at someone else's home. When I have, it's been just a turkey breast for our little family. But this year, I'm roasting a 13-pounder. And I'm brining it before I roast it!! Yay!

I'd never heard of brining a turkey until a couple of years ago. Alton Brown on the Food Network devoted a show to brining. Soaking the turkey in a salt brine is supposed to make the turkey retain its juices and help it cook faster. So I thought it would be interesting to try one day. Well, one day is here. You can purchase premade brining mixes at the store, but they're expensive, $10 dollars for a packet of herbs! I combed the internet for brining recipes and decided to make my own simple one. Some called for hard-to-find things like juniper berries, but this one has ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

I have a hard time serving food to guests that I haven't prepared at least once and taste tested on my family. So I decided to try my hand at brining a whole chicken and see if it worked. My guinea pigs....er, family was eager to try it too. Since the chicken was only 4 pounds, I cut the brining recipe by two-thirds. Didn't want it to be too salty. But for a 13 pound turkey, I'm going with the full recipe.

Simple Turkey Brine

2 gallons water - you can substitute apple juice for some of the water if you like
1 1/2 cups coarse sea salt
3 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place your turkey in a large bucket with a lid or a hard-side cooler. It must be big enough for your bird and the brining ingredients. Mix the brine and pour over the turkey. Soak the turkey for 24-48 hours. Store in the refrigerator if you have enough space. If you're using a cooler, add enough ice to keep the turkey cold. Change out the ice after 24 hours. Roast or smoke as you normally would, but be aware that it might take less time to cook.

I roasted the whole chicken at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes and it was perfectly cooked. Hubby and I couldn't believe how juicy it was. The kids went back for seconds and thirds. Even the dog got a taste. The juices, however, were a bit salty from the brine, so I don't think it would make good gravy. You might want to take that into consideration if you brine your turkey.

This post is linked to Life as Mom's Frugal Fridays.

Homemade Apple Pie Filling

Earlier this year we bought a new house. Well, it's not really new. It's 30 years old. But it was new to us, right? We had lived in our previous house for 8 years and had gone from a family of 2 to a family of 4. Not only that, we spent a LOT of time in that house. I homeschooled the children, Charles worked from home. And we were falling all over each other and each other's stuff. Last spring, God opened the doors for us to buy a bigger house. And I do mean bigger. We went from 1200 sq ft of living space to 4000 sq ft! I'll tell you more about the new house in another post.

Because of all the space we have now, we decided to host Thanksgiving with hubby's family and Christmas with my family. Since they all live out of state and will be staying several days, sleeping arrangements had to be taken care of. We finally have enough room to comfortably hold everyone!

I love to cook, so planning meals for a lot of people is fun for me. My father-in-law doesn't care for pumpkin pie, so I'm making apple pie for him. I'm sure he'll share. Here's a recipe for homemade apple pie filling that is delicious and inexpensive. Plus, it makes enough to freeze some for later pies.

Homemade Apple Pie Filling

18 cups sliced apples - I used about 6 lbs of apples, a mix of Gala and Granny Smith
3 TBS lemon juice
Toss the apples with the lemon juice and set aside.

Pour 6 cups of water into a large pot. Add 4 cups of sugar, 1 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken up, which is good!

Look at all that cinnamony goodness floating at the top! Don't worry, it will blend in as you stir!

Add apples and stir gently to combine. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-8 minues or until apples are tender.



See how my pot almost wasn't big enough? Oops! Let the apple filling cool, then ladle into freezer bags or jars. A quart size freezer bag will hold about 4 scoops of filling. This recipe will make enough filling for 5 pies. I froze 4 bags and made a pie right then.


Hubby declared the filling to be delicious. And hopefully his father will think so too!

Now if only the Kitchen Clean-up Fairy will pay me a visit...

For more Thanksgiving recipes, visit Life as Mom