Wednesday, November 2, 2011

A BATF Thanksgiving: The Stuffing Recipe

When we were figuring out assignments for our Thanksgiving smorgasboard, I was kind of late to the party and was SHOCKED to realize that no one had claimed stuffing yet. In fact, one Beauty, who shall remain nameless, even had the audacity to suggest that we skip the stuffing all together! SHAME!!! Are you even an American? You can't have Thanksgiving without stuffing!!! So I snatched up the stuffing assignment just as quick as you please and started hunting for a Beauties-worthy recipe.

THE RECIPE

6 tablespoons butter
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound day old bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup canned chicken broth
Salt and pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15x10 inch baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a large bowl. (NOTE - I mean your biggest bowl. There is a lot of stuff going in there, so make sure you have room!) Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the parsley and then transfer the mixture to the large bowl with the bacon. Add the bread and cheese and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the mixture to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs as your last step.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with foil and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

THE COOKING EXPERIENCE

There is nothing like a group of awesome girlfriends gathered in a cozy kitchen, cooking, talking, eating, drinking and laughing. The seemingless endless chopping required by this recipe was rendered quite pleasant because I was surrounded by my Beauties. As an added bonus, the chopped veggies are very pretty when you put them all together, providing a good photo opportunity.



But after the chopping is done, you are home free. Saute up the bacon and veggies (with the added bonus of making your kitchen smell WONDERFUL, if it doesn't already), toss with the bread, throw it in the pan and let the oven do the rest. The result is crunchy on top, soft and chewy in the middle and oh so delicious topped with a little of Amber's gravy.



The other great thing about this recipe is that it's really flexible. If you don't have celery, throw in green pepper. If you are out of rosemary, use thyme or sage. And the bread options are endless. Have fun and be creative!

Cheers!
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7 comments:

  1. You know, I never liked stuffing until AFTER my daughter was born. (same with strawberries!) This recipe made me drool... yup, I'll admit it! :) So excited for stuffing this year!

    Loving this idea, Beauties! I am so excited for the next post!

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  2. Rachel, this and you are the best. You make me laugh! Great recipe and you're right, it was a very fun time!

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  3. I’m with you, who doesn’t love stuffing!? And I have to say, the bacon was the golden ticket in your recipe! And the experience was wonderful. This year, I’m extra thankful for my girlfriends and the quality time we get to spend together.

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  4. The stuffing could've been a meal by itself with all the good stuff it had in it. It was so good and I ate for the next three days, fyi. All your chopping was worth it, Rachel!

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  5. Wow! This recipe looks amazing :) And not to mention easy! I'm not much of a cook, so I've got a couple of questions for you...
    When you say "day-old bread," do you mean bread that is a day past it's expiration? Or do you mean to chop the bread a day before you cook the meal?
    Also, could dried parsely and rosemary work? I have those on hand, but I don't know if they'll bring as much flavor and I don't know if the measuring would be the same.
    And one last question, could I used the grated parmesean that comes in the bottle, or is fresh parmesean cheese a must. Obviously fresh everything would be better, but my budget might not allow that.
    Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for the recipe!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rachel,
      You really can't go wrong with this. Day old bread means fresh bread that's been sitting out on the counter for a day so it's slightly stale, a loaf of fresh French bread from your grocery store bakery is perfect. Dried herbs are fine, but maybe throw in more than the recipe calls for since they won't be as flavorful as fresh. Real parmesean is always better ... but once again you can't go wrong, so I'd use what you have on hand or what's easiest for you! Let us know how it turns out. Happy Thanksgiving!
      - Beauties and the Feast

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  6. How about making it the day ahead? Any suggestions?

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