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help! Stuffing cooked OUTSIDE of a turkey recipe requested!

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kcoursolle

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Hi Ladies, my fi and I are hosting thanksgiving for the first time this year. Unlike other years, our friend is cooking the turkey in a deepfryer, so we can''t stuff the turkey.

However, we still want to have stuffing...and honestly I''ve never made it outside of the turkey before and I''m worried I will dry it out. Any of you have any fabulous recipes to cook stuffing outside of a turkey??







Many thanks and appreciation! HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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I am not sure about dryness since I never stuff the bird, I am scared of bacteria so I do not do it. I always used plenty of chicken stock in the recipe, I have never really had an issue. Maybe covering it with foil for part of the cooking will help?
 
I only make stuffing outside of the turkey...it's very easy!! And it's not dry if you use enough moisture to begin with.

Last year I found great recipes on the food network (
www.foodnetwork.com) and Williams Sonoma has a few great ones as well.

Mine is made with basically apple, sausage, cranberries, roasted walnuts and stuffing cubes. You just buy the cubes in a bag at the store. Use chicken stock for moisture and egg to hold it all together kinda thing. You basically just cook all the different things in a pan with a bunch of fresh herbs (I use sage and rosemary), moisten the cubes with the chicken stock and then mix it all together with the egg, throw it in a baking pan/dish (or two) and bake it for about 30-40 minutes depending on recipe and size etc. I don't even cover it with anything and the top gets hard but crunchy and then all the stuffing underneath the topping is moist and yummy. Of course microwaving it later does dry it out a bit but it's still super yummy mixed with leftover mashed potatoes!

Anyway last year it was yummy! I am going to use more fresh herbs this time and more sausage and maybe a bit extra spice. Have fun!

Here's a recipe I used (with modifications made to it...) last year.

Apple, Sausage and Sage Stuffing
Makes 8-10 servings

16-ounce bag stuffing cubes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan and topping
1 pound fresh sage sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cooking apples, such as Gravenstein, Rome, or Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 to 2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (See Note)
2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the stuffing cubes in a large bowl and set aside. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses most of its pink color, but not so much that it's dry, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.
Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack the dressing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of turkey pan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more. Set immediately or warm.
Tips: Put the dressing in the oven during the last hour of cooking the turkey
Note: To toast nuts, spread them out on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree F oven until golden, about 7 minutes.

 
Mara, do you use Pepperidge Farm in the red bag? We always use the blue bag, and add mushrooms, onions and celery. Yours sounds really good too!
 
DF I don''t use any particular brand, there are SO many at the store!! Today I was at a different market (Nob Hill/Raleys) and they had a different one in a clear bag that was ''cranberries, apples and pine nuts'' so I bought that one and figured I''d see how it turned out. They had an Herb and Onion one too that was intriguing. But I LOVE cranberries, and I was already going to add apples, so now I will just add more. I find that with stuffing like this (or is it called dressing if it''s not stuffed?) that you can add so many diff types of things and it still tastes amazing in the end because of the fresh herbs and the flavors all just blending together! I''m excited to see what ours turns out like this year with these small modifications.
 
it would make sense to call it dressing but I think of salad! I agree, stuffing can just sort of be a hodgepodge of good things and as long as the flavors meld it is great. Except my mother in law used to put tomatoes in hers and it just did not cut it to me! I love sweet and nutty, love dried cranberries and dried cherries, and nuts and dried apricots, but also like savory with herbs and onions. That why I decided to do two this year to please both palates...
 
Thank you Mara!! This recipe sounds delicious. I think our guests will like the sausage added since they are all meat lovers. Thanks again for the quick response.
 
Nice recipe Mara!

I can get Stove Top here which Hubby likes, I make it up according to the package with EXTRA butter in the water and spices, put it into a dish, then generously dot knobs of butter all over it and oven cook. I have done it this way for years and it is never dry. Yum!
 
I thought I''d add what I add to my dressing/stuffing. My hubby is fond of a sweet and savory type of dressing so I add a can of drained mandarin oranges and a can of drained pineapple chunks to mine. You can add the juice that you drained out of the cans or not. It adds alot to my stuffing/dressing which includes sweet italian sausage and a brown or sweet onion in the mix. I almost always add a can of golden mushroom soup. It just adds something to the taste.

My hubby is fond of water chestnuts and it does add a nice crunch to the texture of things. Hubbynis not too into nuts outside of slivered almonds so sometimes I add those, but, as it has been mentioned already, it is pretty much whatever you want to add to it. Oh, and I always include cranberries. Love cranberries and now they have those craisins out there. Interesting. I love fresh sage, thyme and rosemary. I already bought my herbs.

All this talk of yummy Thanksgiving foods makes me excited to get cooking!
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Lorelei and Deanna, these sound delicious too. Who doesn't love extra butter! Also, the fruit juice idea sounds like interesting, similar to adding apples I suppose. Yummy, I'm getting hungry!!
 
hehehe...Koursie, I am the Butter Cooking Queen during the Holidays, it can transform any dish into gloriousness!
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Stove Top....
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Way to go with the Fried Turkey! Those are so yummy, but please be very safe when you are making it. I went to a Turkey cooking class last week, and for your fried turkey they said not cook one that is over 14 lbs. Also be sure to inject it with a yummy marinade.

As for your stuffing, they said not to cook it in the turkey at all b/c you will have one of two things depending on your timing 1--great stuffing and dry turkey, or 2 yummy tukey and under cooked stuffing. Just prepare your stuffing in a baking dish and then cook it in the oven. www.southernliving.com and www.foodnetwork.com should have all kinds of tips for you.
 
I just made the best stuffing yesterday...it was so good...outside of the bird....I go by the eye so I don't have exact measurements for you...

I use 2 large onions and 4 stalks celery, including leaves....
One bay leaf...(Don't forget to remove later)
Sautee in 1/2 stick butter...Don't make it all soggy....Keep it a little crisp....

Use Bell's poultry seasoning to make it easy and YUMMY (it has Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, and a touch of others)....

I crush two sleeves of salted saltines or the cubes and add some chicken stock or cooked bird drippings
and MILK to make it soggy!!!! That's the kicker!

Then I add a peeled and chopped granny smith, a very FEW lightly smashed cooked cranberries, and some chopped walnuts...pepper to taste....

Then I lightly sautee again...and bake 350 for 20-30 min...

The Bell's seasoning is amazing
 
Date: 11/20/2006 3:51:06 AM
Author: Lorelei
hehehe...Koursie, I am the Butter Cooking Queen during the Holidays, it can transform any dish into gloriousness!
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Oh, I KNEW I liked you.
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Saying a big AMEN here!

I use Pepperidge Farms cubed stuffing, and add onion and celery that gets simmered in the water, along with salt, pepper, lots of poultry seasoning, and just about double what''s called for with the butter.
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What doesn''t fit in the turkey, I add one or two eggs and some chicken broth to keep it moist.

*counting the days*
 
I have never even had Stove Top in my life! My US Weekly always has an ad for it with like some cream of something soup and frozen veggies and the look of it always makes my stomach turn because it looks soooooo artery-clogging. So thats my only experience with ST stuffing I love love love stuffing but it's not hard to make from scratch at all, and there are so many awesome ingredients you can add, I don't get why stuffing in a box with nothing fun in it would be so amazing. hehehee. But I guess if you grew up on it, you always have that soft spot (I am like that with Betty Crocker cupcakes!). My Mom had an aversion to most processed foods when I was little..I also didn't eat sugary cereals or get white bread til I was practically in college!
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I can't wait to make stuffing again, I honestly wish Thxgiving came around 3x a year since then I'd have an excuse to have stuffing more often.
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Ellen and Lorelei, I agree on the butter, I think I put like 2-3 sticks in my mashed potatoes, maybe that's why everyone always raves about them?
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hehee.
 
K--do you have a crockpot? I have a crockpot stuffing recipe that is fantastic, and it also frees up your oven for other items, as well as provides a great way to keep the stuffing hot while transporting somewhere else.

Let me know and if you are interested I''ll post it.

Jeannine
 
How cool that you''re frying a turkey for Thanksgiving! I''ve always wanted to try it, but have been outvoted by the family.
Please let us know how it turns out!

Anyway, I''ve got a GREAT recipe for stuffing. We hosted an early TG dinner party Sat eve to celebrate with some friends. Since we were a small group (6), we opted for a turkey breast instead of a small bird, so we had to make the stuffing "outside". It was soooo yummy, and I cannot wait to eat leftovers at lunch today. It takes a bit more prep time than your basic stuffing, but it''s worth it- the andouille really gives it a kick!

Here''s the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17082,00.html?rsrc=search
And I''m also pasting it below:
Cornbread and Andouille Dressing Recipe
courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound andouille, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Basic Cornbread, recipe follows
3 slices white or whole wheat bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large eggs, beaten
1 to 2 cups chicken stock, as needed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage until brown and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

With your fingers, crumble the corn bread into the bowl, add bread, the green onions, parsley, and thyme, and mix well with your hands. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and eggs, and mix well with your hands. Add enough broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to moisten the dressing, being careful not to make it mushy.


Transfer to the prepared dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Basic Cornbread:
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a 9-inch baking pan or heavy cast iron skillet. Place the pan into the oven as it preheats, allowing it to heat for at least 10 minutes.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the buttermilk and egg to the mixture, and stir well to blend. Pour the cornmeal batter into the preheated pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving or using in the dressing.


Note: When making the dressing, make cornbread the day before.


Yield: 8 servings



 
Date: 11/20/2006 9:57:23 AM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
Stove Top....
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I actually like Stove Top stuffing better than a lot of the homemade stuffing I''ve tried in the past. But just reading all the recipes got me drooling again....
 
Date: 11/20/2006 12:25:52 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl

How cool that you''re frying a turkey for Thanksgiving! I''ve always wanted to try it, but have been outvoted by the family.
Please let us know how it turns out!

Anyway, I''ve got a GREAT recipe for stuffing. We hosted an early TG dinner party Sat eve to celebrate with some friends. Since we were a small group (6), we opted for a turkey breast instead of a small bird, so we had to make the stuffing ''outside''. It was soooo yummy, and I cannot wait to eat leftovers at lunch today. It takes a bit more prep time than your basic stuffing, but it''s worth it- the andouille really gives it a kick!

Here''s the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17082,00.html?rsrc=search
And I''m also pasting it below:
Cornbread and Andouille Dressing Recipe
courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound andouille, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Basic Cornbread, recipe follows
3 slices white or whole wheat bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 large eggs, beaten
1 to 2 cups chicken stock, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage until brown and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

With your fingers, crumble the corn bread into the bowl, add bread, the green onions, parsley, and thyme, and mix well with your hands. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and eggs, and mix well with your hands. Add enough broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to moisten the dressing, being careful not to make it mushy.



Transfer to the prepared dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Basic Cornbread:
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a 9-inch baking pan or heavy cast iron skillet. Place the pan into the oven as it preheats, allowing it to heat for at least 10 minutes.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the buttermilk and egg to the mixture, and stir well to blend. Pour the cornmeal batter into the preheated pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving or using in the dressing.



Note: When making the dressing, make cornbread the day before.



Yield: 8 servings




thanks Chargergrrl, this sounds delicious too! I will let you know how the fried turkey was. I''ve never had it deep-fried so I''m really excited to see how it tastes. My friend says that it''s amazing.
 
Thank you all so much! Pricescope comes to the rescue again. Have a happy thanksgiving everyone.
 
lol chargergrrl, i watched the emeril thanksgiving show last year and he made that on the show!! i totally wanted to try it as it looked super yummy but i didn''t want to make a cornbread stuffing at the time. maybe i will try it for a future get together!! it''s good to know it came out wonderfully and you loved it.
 
hehehe Mara- the leftover stuffing was so tasty. Stuffing is one of those foods that just gets better and better after the initial serving.

We suggested to DH parents that they incorporate it into this year''s TG menu, but they''re not budging (UGH)

Oh well, we''ll just have to prepare it throughout the year!
 
Here is one more suggestion.

Make regular stuffing any recipe. Then bake it in the oven with a peice or two of turkey on top. You can buy turkey drumsticks (dark meat has more juice/fat/flavor that the breast), cook them and save them for later.

One year I used a turkey cooking method where you cook the turkey propped up vertically in the oven and the legs and wings come off the carcuss and are cooked resting on top of the stuffing. Everything cooked in about 2 hours. It came out really well although I don''t cook the turkey for our thanksgivings so I''ve never made it again. A lot of the turkey juices dripped into the stuffing and made it very moist and flavorful.
 
Hee hee - my fellow Butter Queens Mara and Ellen! I NEVER go by butter instructions, but slap it on as I wish!
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Also tons of butter does transform mash taties into something special indeed! A little tip I find good, if you ladies add milk to mashed taters , if you heat it first it adds extra creaminess along with the butter
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I made this one last year (I don''t put meat in my stuffing, because we have veggies at the table) and it was so delicious and so easy. I never use stuffing mix from a bag, because I think it''s yukky! LOL It is so easy to buy a baguette, let it sit a day, and cube it up!

This was excellent! We didn''t, but you can make it ahead of time and then bake it off. Use fresh sage and buy good organic chicken stock.



Home > Recipes


Apple-Cranberry Sage Dressing Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine





3 cups cubed French bread, fresh or day-old
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
2 onions, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tart apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into medium dice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Soak the bread cubes in the chicken stock, egg, and milk until all the liquid is absorbed.
Saute the onions in the butter until translucent. Add the apples and continue cooking until the apples have just begun to soften (about 7 to 8 minutes). Remove from the heat and cool before combining the onion and apple mixture with the bread cubes.
Lightly stir in the herbs, dried cranberries and seasoning, and pour the mixture into a 2-quart ovenproof dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve hot in the baking dish.




 
Date: 11/20/2006 11:39:51 AM
Author: divergrrl
K--do you have a crockpot? I have a crockpot stuffing recipe that is fantastic, and it also frees up your oven for other items, as well as provides a great way to keep the stuffing hot while transporting somewhere else.


Let me know and if you are interested I''ll post it.


Jeannine

Ooh, please post it. I''d love to be able to do stuffing in a crock pot.
 
Date: 11/21/2006 8:25:28 AM
Author: Kismet

Date: 11/20/2006 11:39:51 AM
Author: divergrrl
K--do you have a crockpot? I have a crockpot stuffing recipe that is fantastic, and it also frees up your oven for other items, as well as provides a great way to keep the stuffing hot while transporting somewhere else.


Let me know and if you are interested I''ll post it.


Jeannine

Ooh, please post it. I''d love to be able to do stuffing in a crock pot.
Ditto! Stuffing is my favorite part of TG!!
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Mara, I am making your recipe for tomorrow. I will let you know how it turns out. I am pre-making a lot of the stuff tonight and then cooking it tomorrow since I don''t have a lot of time tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.
 
hey kc...i actually just made the stuffing tonite...this time i basically followed the recipe (last year i used two recipes and piecemealed them a bit) but i used maple sausage and instead added freshly torn/cut sage, about 1/2 cup! last time i remember the stuffing needing a tiny bit more spice to it (i really like strong flavors) so i figured that would assist this time. also i put in more onion vs last time when i skimped and only did like 1/2 an onion. so anyway, it smells SO ABSOLUTELY DIVINE...i almost ate it straight out of the bowl without it going in the oven...hahaha. greg practically had to rip the bowl out of my hands.

soooo...it''s in the oven now...getting it''s nice crispy top crust going on...and the turkey is about 40 minutes away from being done too. I CANNOT WAIT. i worked out super hard at the gym today so i really need a big meal tonite .... hahaa. i was feeling faint during the stuffing prep so i ate a bunch of blueberries to keep me going. the potatoes are boiling and the turkey and stuffing are almost done. cranberry relish is in the fridge along with the gravy, and i''m just going to heat some rolls right at the end.

now it''s just the waiting!
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and then we get to do it all again tomorrow...woo hoo. gotta love food holidays.
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