Making Stove Top Stuffing for Special Occasions

[granviewgran]

When I use Stove Top Stuffing for a special meal, like a holiday, I like to give it a homemade flair.

This is how I make it. Everyone loves it.

I use 3 boxes of Stove Top which will easily make enough for 8 to 10 people plus leftovers (which everyone wants).

I make it the night before so I don't have to do it in the morning.

I use 3 different kinds, 1 Chicken, 1 Turkey, and 1 Cornbread or 1 Savory Herb. Use whatever 3 flavors you want to.

You will also need 6 slices of bread and one lb of breakfast sausage. A little onion and a stalk of celery.

I firtst saute about 3 TBS of chopped onion and 4 TBS of diced Celery together in a pan with 4 TBS butter. Add about a tsp of Poultry seosoning (I use Bell's).

Then I brown 1 roll of pork breakfast sausage in the same pan with the onions and celery (I use Jimmy Deans Reduced Fat Sausage) and chop the sausage up as it cooks.

While the sausage is cooking, I Toast 6 pieces of bread (I save heels or stale bread for this) when they are toasted I crumble them up and set them aside. If you prefer you can use 2 cups of any kind of croutons instead of toast. I've done it both ways.

When the sausage is done I follow the directions on the packages of stuffing. I put the correct amount of butter for 2 boxes in with the sausage because we already added some butter when sauteeing the onions and celery.

I add the amount of liquid it calls for on the 3 boxes plus I add 1 cup of extra liquid. For the liquid you can use all water but I use half water and half chicken or turkey broth or stock.

When the broth has heated up and the butter has melted add the packets of stove top stuffing mix and the crumbled up toast or croutons.

Mix thoroughly together..... if it is too dry add some additional liquid.... if too mushy add some more croutons or toasted bread.

You can also add any other ingredients you may want, sliced mushrooms, walnuts, grated carrot, cooked wild rice, more celery .....whatever you like.

I then put it into the fridge for the night. This lets all the flavors mingle together.

The next day stuff into the bird or bake in a covered casserole dish.

I use a casserole dish because I hate worrying that the stuffing did not get hot enough inside the bird and I hate digging it back out of the bird.

I put the stuffing in for the last hour with the turkey. When I baste the turkey I add a little of the bastings to the stuffing too.

It's as much work as homemade but I like to do it this way because it always comes out tasting perfect and when I try homemade from scratch I never get the seasonings quite right.

[clp8904]

Hmmmm, now I want some stuffing!

[PSCmom]

I REALLY, REALLY appreciate you sharing this recipe with us. Mom always made the stuffing for Thanksgiving and since she passed, I have never been able to make it taste the same as she did.

[granviewgran]

I could never duplicate my moms home made either. But this comes close to what hers tastes like...in fact I think I my kids may like it better.

[almadee]

I do pretty much the same except my hubby likes onion,gr.pepper,celery and i use hot sausage, i add extra sage(fresh when i have it) and when he's overseas for a holiday i add chicken livers) just saute them at the same time with the veggies. i baked it the oven also. so, so good I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! gobble gobble