Today Is ‘National Stuffing Day’ And I’m All About Celebrating It
Since I was a kid, I have loved stuffing! In the 70’s and 80’s, we’d often have Stove Top Stuffing as a side with dinner, and it was one of my favorite things! Since I’m Jewish, I would often spend Christmas with one of my friends, and stuffing was usually on the menu. Not boxed stuffing, homemade stuffing. I think the first time I had it homemade was at my friend Lisa’s house. Loved it!
As I got older, Stove Top wasn’t as tasty to me as homemade. It was a bit too salty. In my 20’s, I went up to Connecticut with my friend Julie for Thanksgiving with her family and her dad’s stuffing was the best I ever had! His recipe is the one I use now. The ingredients aren’t anything wild, but the combo of flavors is perfection. It’s made with Pepperidge Farm stuffing, sauteed onion, celery, and canned mushrooms, Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage and chicken broth and water. The ingredients are simple, but it’s amazing!
Different Stuffing Recipes
I know some folks prefer dressing over stuffing and there is a difference. I like eating both! With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday, I’ve seen a few different stuffing recipes online. Many people use a recipe that has been in their family and passed down over the years. Cooking stuffing with fall fruits like apples and raisins is a recipe I’ve seen. Not a fan personally. I like apples and raisins, but not in my stuffing.
Yesterday, during a meeting, someone brought up White Castle stuffing. It’s stuffing made from White Castle sliders. I’d be up for trying this! The recipe calls for using sliders with no pickles, but I think I’d be up for trying it with pickles. Might be tasty! I don’t think there’s a White Castle restaurant in Charlotte, but I think you can get the frozen sliders at Walmart.
This morning I saw a stuffing recipe using Auntie Ann’s pretzels on FoodBeast. Now this one got my attention. You could use unsalted pretzels or butter pretzels for this. And it doesn’t have to be Auntie Ann’s. I do lots of my grocery shopping at Lidl and they have freshly baked warm pretzels. You could totally use these to make stuffing. I’d use celery, onion, and sausage, like I usually do but replace the stuffing mix with pretzels. I like it! The recipe calls for using evaporated milk, and I’m not sure about that. Evaporated milk is pretty sweet. Of course, I’m no chef!
Generally, most of us think of stuffing when Thanksgiving rolls around. But it’s an easy side dish to whip up anytime as a side for chicken or pork chops. Even making it homemade doesn’t take too long. If you’re like me, you’ll be celebrating stuffing on Thanksgiving and all winter long! If you have a tasty recipe, please feel free to share. Shoot me an email at melany.myers@bbgi.com. I’d love to try a new recipe!