November 17, 2017

Cookbook Love and Loving that Thanksgiving Dressing!

I take a “selfie” in my study with some of my beloved cookbooks in the background.
I know… my selfie-taking leaves something to be desired.

I love cookbooks! While others read romance and mystery novels, I immerse myself in books filled with a myriad of ingredients and instructions required to create glorious epicurean delights. I devour (yes, that was a pun!) and collect cookbooks. Unfortunately it became too much! Over the years I amassed a cookbook library that would spur envy from even the Library of Congress!  All right, while that may be a bit of an exaggeration, I did have A LOT! So, during this past year, I have made it my mission to downsize my extensive cookbook collection, saving only those titles that I use and love. I am proud to say that I have decreased my library of gastronomy by over sixty cookbooks, so far. It is a work in progress. :o)

Above is the Disney section of my prized cookbook collection.

Pictures, I Want Pictures!

Having perused the pages of many a cookbook, I have come to the conclusion that photos of the recipes’ end product produces the most satisfying reading. While weeding through my hefty culinary collection, I found that it was the cookbooks with accompanying photos that I wanted to keep. In fact, an employee at a local book store dealing in overstock and bargain books (books that did not sell at retail bookstores), recently verified this fact to me by stating that their own store’s cookbook selection is heavily ladened with unillustrated cookbooks. 

Cookbooks with photos are my preference .

What?  No photo?!

With that being said, I am apologetically presenting to you my favorite Thanksgiving recipe, without photos.  I know, I know… I will, I promise, insert it in this blog post, after Thanksgiving 2017. As a peace offering, I give you this past Thanksgiving printable. 

You can view Arthur Carlson and the iconic Thanksgiving episode of
WKRP in Cincinnati here.

Dressing or Stuffing?

My favorite Thanksgiving dish is, hands down, the dressing!  Or do you call it stuffing?  According to Huffington Post, what you call this delicious Thanksgiving side dish, depends on where you are from. I grew up in Iowa, so to me, it is dressing! Whether
your family makes it with sourdough, cornbread, sausage, oysters, chestnuts, or the million of other possible ingredients, this is the one Thanksgiving recipe that is unique to each family.  Of course, I believe that my family’s recipe is the best.  :o)

I would love to hear from you!  Does your family call it dressing or stuffing?
What are the main ingredients to your family’s recipe?
Please, put your kind comments in the comment section of this blog.  :o) 

Read the Huffington Post article on stuffing verses dressing here.

My “BLESSED”  Rae Dunn platter sits on my kitchen counter as a reminder.  :o)

The Recipe

As a young bride in South Carolina, preparing my first Thanksgiving thirty nine years ago, I requested this dressing recipe from my mother.  I found that my mother did not have a “written-down recipe”, as (I believe) the original “recipe” was developed, while preparing Thanksgiving dinner, by my mom along with my grandmother .  (I must say that it gives a girl a good feeling to know that she comes from “good cooking'” stock! Yep, another pun! :o)) My mom wrote down her dressing recipe and sent them to me in a letter. Over the years, I have fine-tuned this recipe, and now I present it to you with my sincere  Happy Thanksgiving wishes.

Midwestern Turkey Dressing

NOTE-If drying your own breadcrumbs, begin a few days before Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

Turkey neck and giblets from turkey, omitting the liver
(I throw the turkey liver out.)

1/2-1 stick of butter, melted

1 onion, whole

2-3 chicken boullion

Dried bread cubes, unseasoned (1-2 loaves of unsliced bakery bread, cut into cubes)

Broth from roasting turkey, if possible.
(My family grills or fries, our turkey, so we do not have turkey broth.)
(If roasting turkey, add 1 cup of water to bottom before cooking, to make broth.)

1-3 (14 oz.) canned  chicken broth

1-1/2 onion, diced

Approximately 1/8-1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

Approximately 1/8-1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Approximately 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Approximately 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste, if desired

Directions

Cover neck and giblets (Do Not use the liver!), and peeled onion with water.
Cook on stove, stirring occasionally.

When hot, add 2-3 bouillon cubes, and continue to cook until done, about 25 minutes.
Remove from heat.  Saving broth and onion, remove neck and giblets to cool.

Chop up giblets and strip neck of meat.

Place bread cubes in a large bowl.

Add neck meat and giblets with the broth that they were cooked in, and the cooked onion, to the dried bread cubes.

Add half of a chopped onion, sage, poultry seasoning, celery salt, pepper, and optional salt, along with half a stick of melted butter.

Add just enough broth off the cooking turkey (if you are roasting a turkey), or canned broth, to moisten the cubes, until the bread is just sticking together, but not soaking.
Add enough broth to make moist, but not soaked consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. (It usually takes a couple of tastings before I get it right. :o))

Put into greased casserole, in 325 degree oven, covering to keep dressing moist.
Bake until hot, about 30 minutes.

Above are two printables from last year’s post,
 Pumpkin Pie from Scratch, You Say?!

Thanksgiving Posts of Yore

Enjoy additional Thanksgiving posts from my past blogs, below.
To read just click on the blog title.

Is Thanksgiving Over Already?!
(This one includes my Thanksgiving menu, and many recipes.)

Autumn is a Mellow Time of Year?!  

Annette’s Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving 

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch, You Say?!

A Fun, Day After Thanksgiving, Visit to the National Air and Space Museum

This sign always comes out for Thanksgiving at my house.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading,
Annette

To enjoy any, or all, of my past blogs and photos, click here, or go to imannette.net, selecting the posts that you desire to see in the Recent Posts, or “search” in the Archives sections, on the upper right-hand side.

I’m Annette usually posts every other week.  Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, however, look for my next blog post on Thursday, December 7.

I would love to hear your kind comments!  Post yours in my comment section.

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I made this chocolate doughnut Mayflower with my young grand daughter last year. 
For instructions to make your own, and have an excuse to eat mini chocolate doughnuts, click here. :o)