Recipe: Dress up your stuffing mix for Thanksgiving

Stuffing is one of those dishes with the most liberal of interpretations, depending on who makes it and what ingredients are used. Technically, what I make is not stuffing, but rather dressing. It’s not stuffing because it’s not stuffed in anything. (I never roast my bird, and frying a stuffed turkey would just be bad news.) But I like calling it “stuffing” anyway, because that word is just more fun to say than “dressing.” (Plus I always think of salad vinaigrettes when I hear “dressing.”)One of my earliest memories of stuffing was when I was in college and had a box of StoveTop for whatever reason. Maybe I was looking for an easy side to accompany some chicken I’d made. But I quickly became addicted to StoveTop and would eat it by itself as a full meal. There was so much flavor, and there was something about the pillowy texture that exuded comfort.Fast-forward 10+ years, and I am still making StoveTop for Thanksgiving. Stuffing, I’ve read, is one of those dishes that even the most elaborate and experienced of cooks cheat on, many preferring to use the instant mixes instead of cooking it from scratch. I mean, it’s rare you’ll find someone who can tear apart stale breadcrumbs, toss them with the right amount of herbs, and shove them up the bird’s rear end, and have it come out perfect and delicious. (And if you do find that someone, give them a big, sloppy kiss.) I, unfortunately, am not one of those people. Besides, the ways with which I cook my turkeys, from-scratch-stuffing would be an impossible feat.So yes, I still reach for that StoveTop every holiday, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. BUT, I do like to dress up my stuffing to personalize it a little bit. You can pretty much personalize your stuffing any way you’d like—mushrooms, oysters, bacon, walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, etc. The possibilities are endless. Here’s the recipe for the stuffing I made for this year’s Thanksgiving. If the Blind can Cook it, you definitely can. GO wild with that imagination here.Do you like stuffing? What do you like in yours? Which brand of stuffing mix do you like best?

Recipe: Dress Up Your Stuffing Mix

Summary: I personally like the StoveTop chicken flavor best for stuffing mixes, but you can use any kind you find in stores. Also, ideally, I would’ve add button mushrooms to mine, but the hubster has an unreasonable fear of mushrooms, so I omitted them here.

Ingredients

1. 2 c chicken broth
2. 4 tbsp unsalted butter
3. 4 c stuffing mix
4. 1 lb ground sausage
5. 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
6. 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
7. 1 Granny Smith apple; peeled, cored & finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the ground sausage with the onion and celery. Once the sausage is browned and the veggies tender, drain the fat and set aside.
2. To the same saucepan, add butter and chicken broth; bring to boyl. Remove from heat and stir in apple and stuffing mix. Let stand for 5 min. Then fluff with a fork, being sure to taste. (Someone’s gotta make sure it’s good.)

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8