So I never heard of stuffing being called dressing until I met my mom-in law. Granted I never cooked till then either. Mom-in-law differentiates the two by explaining that stuffing is cooked in the bird and dressing on the side. Further research (read google) shows that Joy of Cooking confirms her definition but The Food Lover’s Companion, one of America’s best-selling culinary reference books, uses the terms interchangeably. So being the peacemaker that I am, I like to satisfy both opinions by cooking my stuffing/dressing in the bird and extra dressing/stuffing in a casserole dish, on the side. Truth be told I do this more so I can load it up with tons of mushrooms, which Hubby and the kiddies don’t like. Well, at least we can all agree that we love the Thanksgiving meal, mushrooms notwithstanding.
You know it so happens that I am both genetically predisposed to my affinity for Turkey day and married into it. On the DNA side, my immigrant mother loves Thanksgiving so much that when she was due with my sister within days of the big Thursday she insisted my grandparents make her the entire meal, earlier in the month, just in case. Well, who were they to argue with a lady in her 3rd trimester? So they dutifully prepared the full-on Thanksgiving spread for her. My dear sister didn’t show up until the end of December (someone, somewhere calculated wrong… momma vehemently denies planning this) so in 1980 my mom had the special zchus of enjoying 2 Thanksgiving meals. My immigrant grandparents really made the best Thanksgiving food I have ever had in my life. And you know I have eaten my way around this world. They completely embraced American culture and customs and had the added benefit of being born intuitively knowing how to cook. I so desperately miss their food, their table, their gravy!!!! And they ALWAYS had mushrooms in their stuffing.
Now for the married-into-it part: Hubby would annually request Thanksgiving dinner for his Oct 5 b-day cause it is also his favorite meal. (Hubby and Mommy don’t have much in common except for this I guess, and they happen to look alike – go figure. Well, now I can remind them of their mutual love for turkey and me and give them something to bond over. Cause they desperately need it.) My oh, so fabulous mother-in-law (and I am not saying that in jest – she and I really do get on very well!) would dotingly make him the whole lavish meal. So until he married me (poor thing) he got two full Thanksgiving meals EVERY year!
This here is one of my favorite stuffing/dressing recipes.
Whole Wheat Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Sage, but my repertoire for stuffing has expanded and I have tons more to share with you. It’s time to find your favorite stuffing combo and let me know which one you choose!
Check out these stuffing recipes for some unique and tasty takes on this holiday must-have.
WALNUTS, PECANS OR HAZELNUTS(TOAST NUTS LIGHTLY FIRST IS BEST,)APPLES OR PEARS, POMEGRANITE SEEDS YUM! WATER CHESTNUTS SLIVERED GIVE A WONDERFUL CRUNCH! MARDARIN ORANGE TIDBITS CAN BE A FUN TWIST & PAIR NICE WITH THE CRANBERRIES…. ENJOY!
I hope you will try the chestnuts. they add a rich, earthy flavor and texture. you can add sauteed mushrooms, toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted squash and parsnips, but the star of the show is the bread for this stuffing. So, be sure to use high quality croutons or leftover challah.
enjoy!
I actually did try the chestnuts, and they were pretty good. My family prefers the traditional stuffing, but I would eat it this way again. I will buy chestnuts again just to cook with them again. Thanks for opening my eyes, and palate to this new food that I have added to my repertoire.
Maybe add walnuts, but not sure about the chestnuts. I need to make a lot of stuffing. I like a lot of onions in it too. I like the cranberries and celery. what other things can I add? Must keep it Kosher, of course, and would never put it in the turkey; it’s a side dish.
I had always thought calling it “dressing” when outside the bird was a southern tradition. Proved wrong once again. Oh well. Sorry I missed your keynote at the conference last week … the normal 1 hour commute turned into 3 that morning. 🙁
This looks amazing! I love that you used whole wheat bread! I would leave out the chestnuts but definitely add the mushrooms!
I like the idea of adding the cranberries to the stuffing. What a great recipe.
When I first heard of “dressing” after moving to the midwest, I was so confused!! I like the idea of including cranberries. I imagine a touch of sweetness with a tart cranberry undertone. Sounds like Thanksgiving to me!
I meant to put cranberries in my stuffing and forgot. Yours looks extra special with them.
This stuffing was really good and it really came together so easily using any bread you have.
Btw, kudos to your husband for the 2nd Thanksgiving meal request. We always have a second Thanksgiving in May because we love it all so much we can’t wait another 6 months.
What a lovely story, I enjoyed every word and it brought back so many memories of my grandparents (trying so hard to be “Americans”, especially on TG). And also of my Mom, American born and bread, who called her “stuffing” neither stuffing nor dressing — she called it “filling” and I don’t think I ever asked why. Hope you find the chestnuts.