Holiday Stuffing Food

TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large nonstick skillet cook, sausage, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain. Remove from heat; stir in mayonnaise, mustard, sage and poultry seasoning., Place bread cubes in a large bowl; add sausage mixture and toss. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and broth; pour over bread cubes and stir gently to combine. Transfer to two 3-qt. baking dishes coated with cooking spray., Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly browned and a thermometer reads 165°, 12-18 minutes longer. If desired, top with chopped parsley.

HOLIDAY STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS, PINE NUTS, SAUSAGE, WILD RICE

Steps:

• Slice French bread and cut into 1 inch cubes. Spread onto cookie sheet, cover with a flour-sack dish towel, and allow to dry out for 24 hours.
• Bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Add box of wild rice. Cover tightly, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 50-60 minutes. Don't worry if all the broth didn't absorb. Set rice aside. (This step can be done a day ahead and refrigerated until needed.).
• Place pine nuts in a small, non-stick, saute pan over medium heat. Toast until they are fragrant and start to brown. (Watch them carefully, tossing occasionally, as they can burn easily.) Set aside.
• Brown and crumble sausage in a frying pan over med-high heat. Pour onto a platter lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onions, and celery and saute for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley. Set aside.
• To assemble, in a large slow cooker, toss together French bread cubes, corn bread cubes, browned sausage, sauteed vegetables and herbs, pine nuts, and wild rice. Add port wine. With the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth, add just enough to the stuffing mixture to make it the moistness of your liking. (You shouldn't add it all if you like it drier.) Place lid on slow cooker and cook stuffing on low for 3 hours. If you desire a crunchier consistency, you can spread the stuffing out in a roasting pan and place in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes, right before serving.
• (Note: I really don't know exactly how many servings this makes, as serving sizes vary, but it always feeds about 10-12 at our holiday table, with leftovers, too.).

HOLIDAY DRESSING

Steps:

• Prepare corn bread as directed on package. Cool, and crumble.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, bell pepper, and celery in butter until tender, but not brown. In another pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until evenly browned.
• Place corn bread and bread slices in a food processor. Pulse until they turn into a crumbly mixture. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Season with sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix in chopped parsley, cooked vegetables, and sausage with drippings. Stir in eggs and chicken stock. This mixture should be a bit mushy. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour.

NEELY'S HOLIDAY CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Turn heat down and add onions and celery; saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the thyme and sage and saute until fragrant. Stir in pecans.
• In a large bowl, add the cornbread mix, bacon and vegetables, and stir in the chicken broth. Add to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch casserole dish. Add butter slices to the top of the casserole and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and cook until top is crisp, about 15 more minutes.