Grandma's Turkey Dressing

Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, everyone in the United States has a different recipe for it. Some cook it in the bird. Some outside (as I do).

Over the last couple of years I have moved twice. In the course of moving, I lost my Grandmother's recipe for Turkey Dressing.

This is what we ate all the while I was growing up at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's the taste I associate with those holidays. I got it the first year my wife and I were away from family for the holidays. I called Grandma and she told me the recipe and I wrote it down on a 3x5 card and put it in my recipe box. And now its lost.

What's funny is that just a few years ago I invited my sister for Christmas and she arrived with her copy of Grandma's recipe. She got it when she visited Grandma years before that.

Her version was different than mine. So we talked to our brothers and found another version of the recipe. Different again.And received directly from Grandma. Evidently, she didn't have a written recipe and sort of cooked up something on the fly depending on what she had and how she felt. And, being a grandmother, it was always good.

Well, what could I do with the "real" recipe lost. I texted those pretenders and got their recipes and came up with the recipe I have here combining my memory (altogether imperfect) with the two other versions.

First you boil the 3 eggs.

Preheat over to 375 degrees F.

Next you make the bread mixture:

• Prepare one pan of canned biscuits according to label directions. A can has 8 biscuits.
• Prepare one pan of cornbread using your own recipe or a dry mix. I have a 9 inch diameter round pan and it comes out about 3/4 inch thick.
• Use one 16 oz package (bag) of Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing. This has the right combination of spices and herbs for that "Grandma" taste. (Your Grandma May Vary.)

Break up the biscuits and cornbread. (You can toast them some after breaking them up if you like.) Add the stuffing mix and stir together thoroughly.

This is the weird part. You pick out a casserole or baking pan that you will use for the dressing and use it to measure out one full pan of the bread crumb mixture. (I used to keep the rest in my freezer until they get covered with frost and then throw them away. Nowdays I throw the rest away sooner having realized its going to be another year before I make it again.)

I usually pour the crumbs out of the baking pan into a large mixing bowl because its easier to mix in the rest of the ingredients. But you can mix them in the baking pan. It just always seems to overflow and make a mess.

Add the following and stir well:

• 1 very large yellow onion, chopped medium to fine.
• 5 sticks of celery chopped
• 3 boiled eggs chopped (these are the ones I said to boil ahead of time)
• (optional) 1 carrot chopped
• (optional) 3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley. Italian or curly both work. Dried will work too.

Put the mixture back into the baking pan and pour the following over the top, one by one:

• 1 stick (1/4 pound) of salted butter, melted
• About 2 cups warm chicken broth. (You can use your own pre-prepared broth, or use the canned or boxed version from the grocery, or boil water and add boullion of some sort. If the broth has salt, you will need less or no salt with the pepper. As you pour this over the bread, try to get all the crumbs wet.

Now test the consistency.

If the top is dry and the bottom really soggy, you are going to want to stir it up to get a more consistent wetness.

If the top is dry and the bottom damp, add some more water or chicken broth.

It should be wet -- more than damp and less than soggy -- through and through. It is ok if the bottom part is wetter but you don't want liquid pooling in the bottom if you can help it.

Top with:

• Sprinkles of dried parsley
• Salt (unless the butter and broth/bouillon have added too much already.
• Fresh ground pepper sprinkled.

Cover the dish with foil (or use a lid). Bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can freeze it at this point. You may need to cook longer if you don't let it fully thaw before you begin baking.)

It will be done when it is hot through the middle and the top is crisped up.

Alternatives:

My brother has these differences:

• Use 1 cup of chopped celery instead of 5 stalks.
• Giblets are chopped up and boiled in the broth. They can be added to the mixture.
• An additional 16 oz package of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing is added to the bread mixture.
• Two raw eggs are beaten and added with the liquid. This is easy if the broth is cool. If not stir with some additional water and sprinkle over the top.
• 1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup concentrate is added to the broth. (This soup typically mixes with 1 can of water to make soup for eating. Don't dilute it for this recipe.)

My sister has these differences:

• Substitute a 16 oz package of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing for the Herb Stuffing in my version.
• Use a whole bunch of celery instead of 5 stalks.
• Add 1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (as above)
• Add 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (mixed just like the Cream of Chicken)
• Cook at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes instead of 375.

A vegetarian version is tasty too:

• Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth
• Don't include in turkey parts.

There you go. Who says family isn't fun?