Monday, November 23, 2015

Easy Turkey Stuffing Recipe, Make Regular, or Gluten Free!




 I saw this recipe online and I have used it a few times.   LOVE it!   I like the Stove Top brand of stuffing / dressing, but its always nice to know you can still make it if there is any reason you can't buy it at the store.   Maybe you were too late on grabbing some stuffing on the shelves, or you live outside town, or the weather is bad?  Or maybe you just want the bragging rights of making your own.  Feel free to jazz it up too, if you want (add cranberries, nuts, whatever you like!).

IDEA:  For "Gluten Free" stuffing, just grab a loaf of gluten free bread, an follow this recipe!  

Ingredients
  • 8 slices of bread (or 2½ cups store bought dried plain bread cubes or croutons)
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1 tbs dried parsley
  • ½ tsp sage
  • ¼ tsp marjoram (optional)
  • ⅛ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 11/3 cups chicken stock
TIP:   If you are using store bought bread cubes, skip the bread toasting directions.  If you are making your own bread cubes, follow all of the directions.

Making Bread Cubes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread evenly on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Then flip the bread slices and toast until the other side is golden brown, roughly 6 minutes more.
  3. Remove the toasted bread from the pan and dice into ¼ -1/2 inch cubes and set aside.
Making the Stuffing
  1. Dice the celery and onion and portion out the remaining ingredients so that you have them on hand.  This makes the preparation quicker and easier.
  2. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and kosher salt over medium heat.
  3. Add the celery, onion and garlic and cook until the veggies are softened and the onion starts to become translucent. Roughly 5 minutes.
  4. Add the herbs, spices and chicken stock to the mix and stir. Bring to a boil.
  5. Once the mixture hits a rolling boil, add the bread cubes. Quickly mix in the cubes to the liquid and then cover.
  6. Remove from the heat and let the pan sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork fluff the mixture and serve.