[graciegirl]

I am from Ohio and grew up with celery onion dressing (we called it dressing, some call it stuffing) for our turkey. This was moist and had broth, celery, onion, poultry seasoning (or used already seasoned bread,) butter and added chicken, and sometimes egg. The chicken and broth were made up the day before as was the dressing because the turkey hadn't been cooked and we didn't put the stuffing IN the bird.

While sitting on my front porch a couple of days ago, imagine my amazement to hear of all kinds of different stuffings. The Italian girls added sausage and apple and garlic and some baked it in muffin tins to make it sorta "crispy". In Ohio we had a few varieties, including moist, moister and danged dry and some southern cousins made cornbread dressing/stuffing but no one had a goal of making their stuffing crispy.

I think that people rarely go outside their family gathering on Thanksgiving, as I assuredly have not because I am learning a lot of things about what I thought was cut and dried traditional and unalterable.

We also took out some dressing/stuffing and put in in another dish and added raw oysters and baked it separately..

What kind was traditional for YOUR family?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I've made my own for years. I take some packaged stuffing mix, usually Pepperidge Farm, and I add celery, onions, garlic, an egg, apples, raisins and walnuts. I put it in the bird and let it get the juices for the hours that the bird cooks. It was always the talk of the Thanksgiving dinner.

By the way, if you put it in the bird like I do, it's called stuffing. If you make it on the stove, it's called dressing.

[Patty55]

I use Pepperidge Farm and add celery, onions, sausage and Bell's seasoning. Cook it in the turkey (and pick at the crunchy part as it cooks.)

[l2ridehd]

Traditional: Giblet stuffing. Cook the giblets and strip and grind the meat. Add to stuffing along with onions, celery, the cooking broth, poultry seasoning, bread or seasoned stuffing like Arnold's, salt and pepper.

Other I like. Use stuffing mix, chicken broth, apples, pecans, celery, onions, cranberries, raisins, and orange juice.

Both are very moist and very good.

[rosygail]

I make mine just like my Mom did. Day old bread torn up, canned turkey or chicken broth, butter, onions, celery ( I saute mine) poultry seasoning and sage. Bake out of bird.

Our unique thing is that we use the above mixture plus some egg to make it wetter then shape some into patties (like smallish hamburgers) and bake them on a cookie sheet. They get crispy outside but the inside is moist. Kids really love these!

[jblum315]

Our stuffing is pretty much like yours, Gracie. My mother-in-law showed me how to make it and I've never changed it. Once I put oysters in and the kids refused to eat it, never tried that again. I think that was the same year that I added some rutabaga to the mashed potatoes, they didn't like that either.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Traditional: Giblet stuffing. Cook the giblets and strip and grind the meat. Add to stuffing along with onions, celery, the cooking broth, poultry seasoning, bread or seasoned stuffing like Arnold's, salt and pepper.

Other I like. Use stuffing mix, chicken broth, apples, pecans, celery, onions, cranberries, raisins, and orange juice.

Both are very moist and very good.

Your first version is how our moms made it........with the giblets.
Stuffing was baked inside the "bird".

I like the sound of your second version........sounds yummy.

My Italian grandmother did use Italian sausage in her stuffing and it was delicious.........I tried it once here but everyone preferred the one they were used to.........which would be your first version but using sauteed pork sausage mixed in with the bread cubes.......and etc.

I've always done my "stuffing" outside of the bird since our generation knew that stuffing could build up bacteria. I make two big trays of it.

We never had cornbread stuffing until my Hungarian friend made it and I do enjoy it.........plus the Honeybaked Ham Store has "sides" of cornbread stuffing which is very very good. Their cran relish is also delicous , nice and chunky........not like out of a can.

When I was young, I would make homemade cranberry sauce with oranges, etc..........

[senior citizen]

p.s.
Here is the closest to the way I made the Prosciutto Pancetta Italian Sausage Stuffing.

Everything was diced up quite small........mixed in with the bread, etc.
Extremely tasty......

1. Two 1-pound loaves of prosciutto bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3. 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
4. 4 ounces sliced lean pancetta, finely chopped
5. 1 pound leeks, white and tender green parts, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6. 1 celery rib, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery leaves
7. 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
8. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
9. 3 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Spread the bread on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice, until crisp and golden.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the sausage meat and cook over moderately high heat, breaking it up as you stir, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage meat to a large bowl and let cool.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and chopped celery rib and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are softened and golden, 8 to 9 minutes. Spoon off as much fat from the pan as possible. Add the leeks to the sausage meat along with the parsley and celery leaves and let cool.
4. Add the toasted prosciutto bread and all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan to the bowl and toss very well. Mix in the stock, season with salt and pepper and spoon the stuffing into the baking dish. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the top and cover with foil.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the stuffing for 45 minutes, or until heated through and lightly browned on the bottom. Remove the foil and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the top is golden and crisp. Serve hot.

Make AheadThe recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before baking.

***PROSCIUTTO IS ITALIAN HAM.......IF YOU CAN'T FIND THE BREAD AT THE BAKERY SECTION OF YOUR SUPERMARKET, USE REGULAR ITALIAN BREAD....AND BUY SOME PROSICUTTO; DICE IT UP.

PANCETTA IS ITALIAN BACON (should be finely chopped for stuffing)

SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE: Get the best you can

THIS SAUSAGE DRESSING MAKES ENOUGH TO STUFF A TURKEY AND FILL A SEPARATE CASSEROLE RECTANGULAR PAN.
USE FIVE CUPS OF THE STUFFING FOR THE CAVITY AND THE SKIN FLAP AT THE TOP OF THE BREAST, THEN COOK THE REST IN AN 8 X 11 INCH BAKING DISH.
YOU CAN MAKE IT AHEAD AND REFRIGERATE UNTIL YOU NEED TO BAKE IT........
MAKES ABOUT 18 CUPS OF STUFFING.........

[DandyGirl]

I'm from the South so it's cornbread dressing for me. I cook my celery, onions and mushrooms in a LOT of butter then add to my dry ingredients. Very tasty!

[wendyquat]

Gracie, are you sure you aren't from Georgia? Your recipe sounds exactly like what I remember from my youth! And no, we didn't want it "crunchy". You needed a big spoon to get it out of the pan.

By the way the turkey and dressing special at Cracker Barrel on Thursdays is very close to moms!

[wendyquat]

Oops Gracie I missed that you didn't use cornbread! My mother baked a big old pone of cornbread and a baking sheet of homemade biscuits the day before. All of that was crumbled up and then she threw in some white loaf bread and saltine crackers. But the celery, onion, eggs, etc are the same as yours!

[bethk]

Gracie, also from Ohio and your dressing sounds very similar to what I've always had. Sometimes we'd go "wild" and add some toasted pecans or roast some chestnuts and chop those to add - but the additions got put into small casseroles of dressing and the "real" dressing recipe was the same every year.

One of the things I've done since the arrival of our grandchildren is to make crispy "stuffing balls" out of the leftover dressing. Since our dressing is moist it's easy to shape into small balls when cold, bake in a hot 450° oven until a little crispy and then put a couple "stuffing balls" into a bowl & add some of the Turkey Noodle Soup over (doesn't EVERYONE make soup from the bones???). The stuffing balls are what I refer to as Northwest Ohio Matzo Balls. Our grandchildren love the soup served that way