Friday, November 16, 2018

Mom's Thanksgiving Dressing

Thanksgiving Day is almost here!

In less than a week, we'll all be sitting around with full bellies, 
trying to stay awake after the tryptophan kicks in.
Several of you have asked me if I would share my mom's dressing recipe.
As promised, I will do my best.


There never was an actual recipe...nothing written down anyway...
I learned by watching and helping her for many years...and then doing the taste test.
I will try my best to give you an idea since I don't really measure the ingredients.
I make two good sized pans because someone in the family is a real pig has to have their own.

You will need:

  • 2-4 loaves white bread (more or less depending how much you want to make)
  • 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 small onion. chopped
  • butter
  • turkey neck, giblets, broth from cooking them
  • 2 large containers chicken broth
  • 2 large eggs (maybe 3, depending on amount you're making)
  • salt, pepper, poultry or other seasonings to taste
I start out by toasting the bread at least the night before. I wish I had a 16 slice toaster (as if they made such a thing) since this is the time consuming part. I let the toast cool off before ripping to pieces. 


So if you think about it, you get to put a lot of yourself into the dressing since you've touched every. single. piece. of bread. 😉 Maybe that's why it became the star of the show...because Mom's hands touched every piece. So then you will need to find a big ol' pan or dish to hold all of this toasted goodness. As you can see in the photos, I used the foil turkey roasting pan before using it for the turkey!


This year I am cooking two smaller turkeys in an electric roasting pan. This will be a first for me...wish me luck! So...back to the dressing...

In a large saucepan, saute celery and onion in butter until soft. Add a couple of quarts of water to the saucepan and bring to a boil, add raw turkey neck and giblets and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is cooked, remove from heat. Now, Jim loves the giblets (gag) so I save them for him for a little pre-dinner snack and I fish out the neck and let it cool. After cooled, I pull off all the meat I can get...and there really is quite a bit, believe it or not. Back into cooled cooked broth it goes for now.

So now comes the fun part...putting it all together. In a large mixing bowl start by adding part of the bread followed by all cooked broth with meat. This is where much of the guesswork comes in. Add more bread followed by store-bought broth, repeat until all of the bread is mixed with broth and it a soupy, sloppy (sorry) consistency. Not enough broth will make the dressing too dry and too much...well, you see where I'm going with this. Taste along the way and add seasonings to your liking. After that, beat the 2-3 eggs in a small bowl and add to dressing mixture, stirring well until all combined. Place mixture in greased baking pan(s) or casserole dish(es). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until brown and it releases from sides a bit. I always do the "knife test" to make sure it is done in the middle. And that's it!



Sorry the photos are not the best...they are copied from Facebook posts.
But if you decide to try it, I hope you enjoy it!
~
We all have so many things to be thankful for, don't we?
Well, I am also very thankful for YOU GUYS, my blogging buddies!
Thank you so much for your encouragement and just making my life so much richer.

May God richly bless you ALL this Thanksgiving!

20 comments:

  1. Now if only I could taste test this via the blog.It looks delicious.

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  2. Thanks, Debby! I bet this tastes like the real deal and especially so since you’re using everything but the gobble. Say, have you considered toasting your bread in the oven on a couple of cookie sheets? It has to be flipped once, but it doesn’t take long and would be done all at once. That was how we made toast for our breakfasts at the lake where we have no electricity. You have a blessed Thanksgiving and all the family, too.

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  3. Your mom's recipe is very much like my mom's dressing, only we don't toast the bread first. Not one D'Orsaneo likes my mom's dressing so I do Stove Top. I just shake my head while making it. If my sisters were here, it would be mom's recipe!! Enjoy the holiday!!

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  4. Dressing is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. (Actually, I could make a meal out of it!) We use my daughter-in-law's mother's recipe. How did this happen? Sarah made it one year and it was SO good that when they moved across the country, Kati got her secret and learned to make it. Now it's a tradition! I won't tell you how much butter is in this recipe.

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  5. Yum! Your Mom's dressing sounds amazing! It is somewhat similar to the one my family uses, and it is always a big hit. I agree. It was your Mom's hands pouring all of that love in that made it taste so good, and I have a hunch it works the exact same way with you, sweet friend. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

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  6. I love stuffings, the more the merrier for me. I'm vegetarian, so obviously avoid meat, but your stuffing looks delicious.

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  7. I can’t wait to make this! We eat thanksgiving with our parents but I did buy a turkey to cook later. I promise to try this dressing and let you know how it turns out. So glad you shared it. Have a great thanksgiving with your family Debby.

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  8. It is similar to my mom's recipe, but we added cornbread to ours in addition to the toasted bread. When I cooked the turkey and made the dressing, I always threw away hose giblets, etc., although I did boil the neck for extra broth. I love stuffing and gravy. Can't wait. I bet you serve up a beautiful dinner with loving hands that touched all that bread!

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  9. It looks delicious, made with love it doesn't get any better than that.

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  10. You Americans certainly know how to cook! Have a great Thanksgiving celebration with your loved ones!

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  11. Looks good, Debby. Have a Happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

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  12. Sounds good to me, Debby. I think those handed down recipes are the very best. I use a recipe that I have 'invented' over the years and it is everyone's favorite now. I think that dressing is one of the best parts of a Thanksgiving meal. xo Diana

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  13. Aww, thank you Debby. The dressing looks and sounds delicious. I make dressing too, like mama made, and she didn't use a recipe either. It's a lot like yours but we start the dressing with a pan of baked cornbread instead of the toast. Bet they taste a lot alike though. Hope you and your family have great Thanksgiving!

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  14. Yum! That looks wonderfully tasty, don't mama's always make the best stuff.
    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
    Saimi

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  15. This is a wonderful recipe! It's my favorite part of the meal. I put a half pan of homemade cornbread in mine and love to use poultry seasoning. Everything else is very much the same! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  16. That was so nice of you to give us your mom's recipe (and now yours!). It sounds a lot like my own mom's, but she didn't add eggs. I'm with you on the giblets, my friend...eew!! Happy Thanksgiving and hugs to you as you touch each and every piece of bread.

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  17. Looks so delicious! A wonderful dish to share with lots of people! Have a wonderful time!

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  18. Dressing or "Stuffing" as we call it is my FAVORITE Thanksgiving food! This recipe is very similar to the one my mom made and that I make. Looks SO SO good! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  19. Looks yummy and all the more special because it came from your mom. I hope you're enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend, dear Debby.
    Amalia
    xo

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.