November 20, 2011: Mom’s Classic Turkey Stuffing Recipe

Everyone has their traditional stuffing recipe, which seems to vary greatly according to location. When I was growing up in Wisconsin, this is the recipe my mother made every year. After years of watching her do it, I was pressed into making the entire Thanksgiving dinner just before she died and had to call upon my memory to make it just like she used to. Since she never measured the ingredients and neither do I, I’m estimating here so please feel free to experiment with seasonings that are to your liking.

Please note you can use a box of dressing, such as Mrs. Cubbison’s brand, instead of the plain bread cubes but I prefer the unseasoned kind, which I can find in my grocery store’s bakery at Thanksgiving time. Also, my mom always chopped the turkey giblets and added them to the stuffing but my family just wouldn’t eat it knowing they were in there so I usually omit them. But if you’re willing to try it, you really can’t taste the giblets alone, although they do impart a good flavor to the stuffing.

Mom’s Turkey Stuffing

One 1 lb. package bread cubes, unseasoned

Giblets from turkey, cooked and finely minced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 medium-sized Granny Smith apple, diced

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste (about a teaspoon)

1 t. dried sage or 1 T. fresh sage, minced

2 t. dehydrated parsley or 2 T. fresh parsley, minced

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 can chicken broth

3 T. butter

Toss bread cubes with remaining ingredients. Let sit for five minutes, so bread has time to absorb liquid, before stuffing into turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased casserole dish and bake alongside the turkey during the last hour of roasting.

October 12, 2011: French Apple Pie Recipe

What’s National Apple Month without a recipe for that favorite American staple, apple pie? Although my husband isn’t big on desserts or sweets of any kind, he absolutely adores apple pie. This is one time he didn’t mind me cooking for my blog – he couldn’t wait until I got to apple pie!

Apple pie is really one of the simplest desserts you can make. There are very few ways you can go wrong, other than under-baking or perhaps not using enough flour so that the filling is too runny. If you don't care for the streusel topping in this recipe, simply substitute with a top crust; brush it with a bit of milk and sprinkle with sugar before baking.

I did invest in an apple peeler/corer machine a few years ago and it certainly makes apple pie preparation much, much easier. If you plan on baking a lot with apples, I highly recommend these simple devices. In addition, baking weights and pie crust protector rings are very handy gadgets for the pie baker.

French Apple Pie

Topping:

4 ounces (1/2 stick) butter

½ cup flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ t. cinnamon

Filling:

3 cups peeled, sliced baking apples, such as Granny Smith (about 4-5 medium)

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup flour

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. nutmeg

2 T. butter

Pastry for one 9” pie crust (find my pie crust recipe here)

Combine all topping ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Mix with a fork until crumbly.

For filling, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter in a large bowl. Add apple slices and toss to combine. Place in pie shell (if you want it to look professional, carefully place overlapping slices in concentric circles). Cut butter into small pieces and distribute evenly over top of apples. Sprinkle topping over pie filling.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 50 minutes, or until apples are tender (check with tip of a knife in center of pie).

Tip: Your apple pie filling may overflow; place a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven before baking to catch drips.