Divas: Are you dressed or stuffed for Thanksgiving?

Is it called dressing or stuffing? Technically, stuffing is cooked inside the bird while dressing is baked in a casserole dish. Most people use the terms interchangeably which is fine.

Dressing is a side dish worthy of love year-round because it’s totally cheap. If you’ve got stale bread and an onion you’re halfway there. It’s a blank canvas to mingle complementary flavors when served alongside any meat, fish or fowl.

I’ve got an easy recipe for you. You can add additional ingredients and make your very own family recipe.

You can certainly use prepackaged bread cubes on Thanksgiving. Alternatively, you can haunt the “oops, we baked too much” rack and score a few day-old loaves. A variety of breads adds texture and flavor to the party.

Diva’s Easy Homemade Stuffing

What You’ll Need:

12 cups dried bread cubes – OR - equivalent fresh bread, cubed and dried

½ cup (one stick) butter

1 ½ cups onion - chopped

1 ½ cups celery with leaves - chopped

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning - OR - 2 tablespoons fresh herbs

½ teaspoon each salt and pepper

4 cups (two 14.5 oz. cans) chicken or turkey broth - divided

2 eggs

Here’s How:

Butter a 9X13 baking dish, set aside.

If you’re using fresh bread, cut it into cubes, spread on baking sheet and place in a 400°F oven. Toast 12 minutes or until dried. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and celery, cook until softened. If you’re adding other mix-ins that need cooking, now’s the time. Add the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and one can of broth to the vegetables, stir and remove from heat. Let cool a bit.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the remaining can of broth and the eggs. Add the vegetable and broth mixture and the bread. Get your hands in there and mix it together.

Place in baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the crust.

Please note if you stuff your turkey you must be sure the stuffing reaches 165°F for food safety. I find by the time the stuffing is cooked the bird is overcooked so I bake it in the oven.

Add your personal touch with two cups of additional ingredients. Here are some items typically added to stuffing; sausage, chorizo, bacon, peppers, diced apple, pears, fennel, dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots) nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) and oysters and hard boiled eggs – it’s a Southern thing.

Fabulous Festive Food contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Website and blog - www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.