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!

Mishmash Medley

Hey y'all and Happy Wednesday!

We had a wonderful trip to Tennessee and made it back safely.
It is such a blessing when all of the grands can get together, which doesn't happen that often.
Aaron's boys, Dacey and Dylan were able to go with us and everyone had a great time...
...even though their ages range from nearly 20 down to nearly 10, it just doesn't matter.
~
The weather was less than perfect but that never stands in the way...
...it was either rainy or bone chilling cold with winds that went right through you.
As usual I brought my camera but it never left the case the whole time.
There are no new pretty pictures this time so I will share from the archives.

Just picture this scene with rain coming down. 😊

And although this is last year's model too, I baked another just like it! 

The rain and cold did not affect our ability to watch Parker play his indoor soccer game

or attend his wrestling match the next day where he got a 2nd place medal in his weight class.

 He has the kindest heart and is always laughing...

...unless he is posing for team pictures.

He is one tough little wrestler and looks like a different kid here, doesn't he?

~

So it's back to the routine around here, including joining Terri for the...

Hop on over to her blog, copy and paste the questions, and link up...it'll be fun!

~

1. With the holidays coming, what is your most essential appliance to help you prepare for the celebrations?

Well, I would definitely be lost without my oven/stove. Without it, we eat raw turkey...and there would be no dressing. That would be a disaster and there just might be a death in my family. 😐

2. What is your favorite (clean) word?

I don't necessarily have a favorite "clean" word (and I don't have a favorite "dirty" word either) .... but my favorite word that means clean would be pristine.

3. Are you a good judge of character?

Most of the time I think I am...although I have been wrong. The world is full of imposters but God is still teaching me that I am not anyone's judge.

4. What is the last thing you took a picture of? Can you share it with us?

I took this photo of my computer screen yesterday since I could not figure out how to print it from Google Maps. This is the street view of the property where we are building the farmhouse which I edited to illustrate the new path the driveway and bridge will take. Initially we thought it best to build the bridge over the creek right off the road (blue line) and the driveway along the fence line...until we met with the bridge guy this past weekend. A bridge over the deep ravine where the creek flows along the road would be quite costly. He suggested the driveway enter through the farm gate on the other end (yellow line) and to build the bridge over the shallow part of the creek as it flows through the tree line and continue up to the building site. This will save us $$$$ believe it or not. I have always wanted to live "down the lane" and we all agree it will make for a much more picturesque setting.

5. Tomorrow, November 15, is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. How do you intend to celebrate?

I celebrated this day back in October when when Hurricane Michael paid us a visit. Warm refrigerators are much easier to clean out! With that said, I will also be deliberately making room for all the Thanksgiving food I will be purchasing over the next week. I am still in denial a bit about it being a week away. 😏

6. Tell us something random about your week!

I always get thrown off course a bit after a trip out of town and I'm still trying to get back on track. Hubby is off the rest of this week until Friday and I am patiently waiting for him to go back so I can get started on the holiday preparations. Is it just me or is it difficult for anyone else to "work" around your better half??

So that's it for this week's medley.

~

I have had a few of you request my mom's recipe for her turkey dressing.

There is nothing fancy about it...just a plain old fashioned dressing.

So I do hope to get that posted within the next couple of days for those who have asked...

...it is not something that I have written down...I just make it the same way every year,

no real measurements...so I will do the best I can!

Until then....

Mid-week Medley

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the Medley!

It seems like I always begin with talking about the weather, don't I?
Well I certainly don't want to shock anyone so let's talk about the weather, shall we?!

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous and I have pictures to prove it.



I went for a hike on Friday and it was just a perfect fall day...

 ...it was a bit overcast (which is the best for photo taking)
but still the brilliant foliage popped against the gray-ish skies.



I didn't notice the lady bug until I got the photos off my camera.

And there is nothing to compare to the solace of hiking a quiet trail in the woods in the fall.



My mums are hanging on for dear life even though their blooms are waning a bit.
It seems like everything is fading fast and with yesterday's wind and rain,
the leaves are falling like crazy.
I plan to savor every moment before it's gone...so I better not blink!
~
So were here for Terri's Wednesday Medley...let's get right to it.
Just copy the questions from her blog, paste them on yours and join n the fun!

 

1. What is your claim to fame?
If you would ask my #1 son this question, his answer would probably be my ability to duplicate his Grandma Billheimer's (my mom) Thanksgiving dressing. He gets his very own pan to take home every year. It's the little things....
 

2. What is something you like to do the old-fashioned way?

I think the older I get, the more I think about this. Even though I am a fan of many modern conveniences, there is a part of me that fantasizes about what it would have been like to grow up in the olden days. I thoroughly enjoy having a dishwasher but there are times when I just want to feel the warm, sudsy dish water on my hands. And that dressing I was talking about in the last question...well, you won't find me buying a bag of pre-cut bread cubes at the store for it. I toast about 3-4 loaves of bread the night before Thanksgiving and in the morning, tear the bread apart with my fingers...just like my mama did.

3. What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?

There are many things I haven't grown out of yet, some that I'm not so proud of, but I guess my first response would be that I have never lost my instinctive desire for mischief (in a good way, of course) and my love to laugh. I probably don't need to tell you that there are some folks out there who think having fun stops when we get old become more mature. Jesus is still teaching me how to behave but I'm pretty sure He wants the laughter to continue.

 

 

4. What is the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty well?

I have done so many dumb things in my life and there is no way to narrow it down to just one. Needless to say, after I publish this post to the Wednesday Medley, all kinds of things will pop into my head. So, since I just can't think of something small like a decorating or cooking mistake that turned out not so bad, I guess I will get serious. In my younger days, when I was running from Jesus, I did so many stupid things...some that could have been really dangerous. But through His grace and mercy, He was always there to love me and catch me when I fell...until I finally fell into His arms. All those dumb things are now just a part of my testimony.
 

5. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? 
Well...I guess I kind of did change my name...at least the spelling of it. I changed the Debbie to Debby when I was in high school, just to be different since there were so many of us.

6. What is something random you can tell us about this week?

We will be heading very early on Thursday morning to Tennessee for the annual father/son/grandsons hunt. We always look forward to this time every year. Next year at this time, God willing, we won't be making this trip because we'll already be living there....as snug as a bug in a rug in our little camper in the meadow. We shall see! 😉

Enjoy the rest of your week!

A Halloween Medley

Hey y'all and welcome to another Wednesday Medley!
Today's questions are all about Halloween and things that go bump in the night.
If you want to join in, just go over to Terri, our friend from Florida's blog, copy the questions
and then answer them on your blog.

So these days, I really don't give Halloween much of a thought.
The day comes and goes and that's about it since there are no children here to enjoy it anymore.
Back in the day, Jim and I were known to dress up and party with the best of them.

 

 

Also, back in the day, when Halloween night was nothing but innocent fun, it was the highlight of fall and my childhood memories. In those days, no one in my circle of influence considered Halloween even remotely close to being demonic. The only people that I knew that weren't allowed to celebrate it were a couple of kids in my elementary school that were of a certain religion. I felt so sorry for them as they stood back away from the crowd during our annual Halloween costume parade with their sad little faces, unable to participate in the festivities. I remember how all of the classes would gather outside on those cool autumn days and parade around the neighborhood where the school was located. We also were given bags from our teachers and went trick-or-treating around to all of the classrooms. It was nothing but a good-spirited fun time when we got lots of candy...nothing more, nothing less.

At home the fun continued as my siblings and I would come up with ideas for our costumes and Mom and Dad would get ready for the beggars...because at my house, it was "Beggar's Night"...we didn't call it trick-or-treat. Anyway, the whole family got involved in the fun and because bad things didn't really happen much back then, there was no age limit imposed for the beggars. Most of my siblings who were of course all older than me got dressed up and walked the neighborhood just for the fun of it even though I doubt they were all begging for candy. Who knows...maybe they were! The costumes that we wore were usually made up of old clothes borrowed from Dad or someone, ranging from hobos to strange looking women and everything in between. I do remember getting a new, store-bought costume every now and then.

source

One in particular was a Heckle and Jeckle costume. Anyone remember those cartoons? Actually, I don't know if my costume was Heckle or Jeckle...since there were two of them. 😖 Then there were those awful, scary, monstrous looking rubber masks...false faces...as Mom would call them. To this very day, I have a vivid memory of the chest of drawers where my brothers stored those horrid things. If the drawer was open the little slightest bit, I wouldn't even walk by it thinking that one of them jump out and grab me!

When I think of the Halloweens of yesteryear, I remember bowls filled with candy, apples, and homemade popcorn balls and cookies...remember those days? Some homes that we would go to even gave out cups of apple cider! Then somewhere along the line, the world started going crazy. Some very mean and hurtful people started to do such terrible things like putting razor blades in apples, and slipping drugs or who knows what else into candy and other treats. I think that I was a young mother with small children of my own when all that scary stuff started happening.

 

And here they are...my two many moons ago.

 

These days, with no young children or grands close by, Halloween comes and goes just like any other day. I haven't decorated for it in years and also the trick-or-treaters have all but stopped...last year was the first year that we had zero. Not too many parents want to drive their kids into a subdivision where the homes are on 1-2 acre lots, have long driveways and shrouded by tall trees. There are many local neighborhoods with large houses with small yards, all very well lit. Those neighborhoods are trick-or-treater's dream. 

So finally, here are this weeks questions...

1. You’re in a horror movie. Are you the final person left, the first to die, the comic relief, the skeptic, the smart one, or the killer?

I am not in to horror movies at all. If I ever found myself in one, it would only be in a dream and mostly likely, I would provide the comic relief.

2. While watching scary movies, are you the person who yells at the characters, the person with their eyes covered the whole time or the person who falls asleep?

As I said, I am not a fan of horror movies but if I found myself in this position, I would be the one covering my eyes. You just can't un-see some things.

3. If you were dared to spend the night in a “haunted house”, would you do it?

There may have been a time when I was way younger that I may have been tempted to but these days, the only spirit that care to be anywhere close to is the Holy Spirit. 👻

4. Favorite horror monster or villain?

Again, no real favorite here but back in my teen years, Barnabas Collins from the show "Dark Shadows" may have made the list.

5. Favorite horror or Halloween-themed song?

How many Halloween songs are there, anyway? The first one I thought of was "The Monster Mash"...then I found the one I learned in elementary school. Sound familiar?



6. Tell us something random about your week.

Nothing much going on here this week but I am looking forward to Saturday when we turn back the clocks...I turn mine back on Saturday afternoon since I know there's no way I will sleep that extra hour anyway. 😏

 

Until next time...

A Medley on This Day

Well, fall is in full swing here in NC with just a hint of winter in the air.
We are finally starting to get some color in some places and it seems some are just drying up.
It's hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago the air was so thick with humidity
that you could almost cut it with a knife.



Believe me when I say I'm not complaining one iota...in fact, this is my kind of weather!

The sound of the crisp, crackling leaves under foot delights my soul.

And while we're on the subject of crispy and crackly...

I was about to throw out these dried mums that had been in a bouquet of flowers.

After a while, they just started to dry up until there was no moisture left in them,

creating the most gorgeous color and texture to the petals and centers.

The blooms were small to begin with, less than 2 inches in diameter

and the photos were taken with my macro lens.

The older I get, I seem to appreciate wrinkles, more and more. 😉

And on a completely unrelated note, I thought I'd share our new "pet" with you.

Of course in order for an animal to be considered a pet,

that animal must let you pet it...at least under ordinary circumstances.

This is Kiki...at least that's what I call her/him...isn't she/he pretty/handsome?

She/he is one of the strays that we have been feeding...

 especially since the day I saw her/him walking across the yard with a cardinal in her/his mouth.

Kiki is quite the tease, I might add but we are making progress.

One day, she/he might just let me get close enough to pet her/him.

I guess when and if that happens, she/he will officially be a pet!

~

So we're here for the Wednesday Medley... let get right to it.

Come join us as Terri, our friend from Florida, asks the questions on her blog

and we answer them on ours.
~

1.  On this day in 1908, Billy Murray hits the charts with his “Take Me Out to The Ball Game”.  Did you watch the MLB playoffs, and are you watching the World Series?

No and no.

2.  On this day in 1962, On this day in 1962, “The Manchurian Candidate”, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, was released.  What is your favorite Frank Sinatra song?

I can't say I was ever a huge fan of ol' Franks but if I had a favorite it would be "My Way".

3.  On this day in 1968, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful were busted for pot and released on £50 bail.  Has your state approved the sale of medical marijuana?  In a nutshell, what are your thoughts on the subject?

Currently, North Carolina has not legalized it's use but there are bills currently on the ballot that will allow a certain amount to be legal for personal use if passed...and we're not talking just for medical purposes. In a nutshell, my thoughts are "Jesus, take the wheel"...that's about as nutshell as I can make it.

4.  On this day in 1979, the Guinness Book of Records presented Paul McCartney with a rhodium disc as the all-time best-selling singer-songwriter. What is your favorite song by Paul McCartney?

I grew up listening to the Beatles and there were so many great songs so it's hard to pick a favorite...but "Let It Be" stands out as being at the top of the list.

5.  On this day in 2017, Albert Einstein’s “Theory of Happiness” written on a note as a tip for a bellboy in 1922, sold for $1.6 million.  His Theory of Happiness is: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” Was Einstein right?

Oh, I absolutely believe he was right...but I think if he would have included the importance of having a relationship with God along with a calm and modest life, he would have hit the nail on the head.

6.  Tell us something random about your week so far…

I rescued this beautiful boy after he slammed into my kitchen window glass. Dazed and confused he was but after about 30-45 minutes, he was safe and sound among the leaves. 

 

Being able to help rescue this beautiful boy made my day!

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your week, my friends!

Wednesday Medley: Pumpkins and Other Things

Didn't we just turn the calendar page over to October?

How is it possible that it's half way over already??

That's just crazy!

~

We weathered yet another hurricane last week as Michael ripped his way through the country.

I snapped this shot on my way home from work as he began to make his presence known.

I've never seen such winds as what we had and it's truly a miracle that more damage wasn't done.

We lost power for only two days...and I say only because we were some of the more fortunate ones.

There are still a few areas around that are have not had theirs restored.

After seeing all of the heartbreaking devastation in Florida,

how dare I complain about spending a couple of days in the dark?

~ 

So here we are again for some Wednesday Medley...

...where our friend, Terri from Florida asks us the questions on her blog

and yes, you guessed it...we answer them on ours!

Why don't you copy and paste the questions and join in the fun?!

1.  The Circleville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival starts today.  All things pumpkin are everywhere. What is your one very favorite pumpkin flavored food or drink?  Do you wish it was available all year or do you only want it in the Fall?

I do love me some pumpkin stuff but only in the fall...I don't want it all year long or it wouldn't seem like a treat. I am always willing to try new things that come out pumpkin spice flavored...here are just some of the ones that I've tried.

At first I thought I really liked the yogurt and then after a few bites I was pretty much done. The sausage was...let me just say...interesting, the cereal was really good, and the bagels and cream cheese were alright but nothing that I'd write home about. Among my favorites was this granola.

And Lord knows, I could have used some of this stuff...



The mosquitoes are still attacking! Evidently they haven't gotten the message yet that summer is over.

2.  What product would you seriously stockpile if you found out they weren't going to sell it anymore?

I've already done this very thing and now I cannot find anymore, anywhere. This made me very sad and I wish I had every dollar back in my pocket for what I spent trying to find a good replacement. I had used this hairspray for years and I'm pretty sure I have bought up every. single. available. bottle. from ebay and Amazon. Vanity is a killer!



3.  What is the most interesting thing you have seen online this week?

This may not be what you would actually call "interesting" but it sure did bless my heart.





4.  Is it better to be a "big fish in a small pond" or a "small fish in a big pond"?

Seeing how I do not care to have much attention drawn to me, I think I would prefer the small fish, big pond thing. I have no desire to be famous or well known...that goes for everyone except my family and loved ones.

5.  My Joe has become obsessed with playing chess on the computer.  Do you play chess?  Are you good at it?

I never learned to play chess, nor have I ever tried to learn. It seems so intense and stressful. Give me a care-free, laid back game of checkers any day.

6.  Tell us something random about your week.

Saturday morning found me doing something I hadn't done in years and years...

It wasn't what I'd call fun but I did get three loads done in the time it would take me to do one at home. There is an up-side to everything. And speaking of up-sides, it took a hurricane and a loss of electricity to prod me into doing something that I absolutely detest...cleaning out the fridge.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. 😉

Until next time, my friends...