Dad's Fabulous Thanksgiving Stuffing

Dad's Fabulous Stuffing

Pretty much anybody who has had my dad's stuffing agrees that there's nothing quite like it. No one makes stuffing like my dad. And the real kicker? It's totally different every year. According to Dad, he's had plenty of successes, but he's also had one or two flops, like the year he decided to do dressing like the real pilgrims would have eaten, with oysters and cornbread. But I cannot remember a year when the stuffing wasn't amazing.

I have asked my dad in the past to give me the recipe for his stuffing, and he just told me that there is no recipe. That's so ridiculously true that I don't know how I can do it justice here, but I'm going to try.

Ingredients

Bread, cut into cubes and dried
     Note: Don't do sourdough (stuffing turns out strange). Cornbread makes crumbly stuffing. French bread is good, as is challah egg bread. Sandwich and wheat bread works good too; but all wheat is heavy, and all white is mushy. A mix is best.
Onions
Celery/fennel (bulb)
Melted butter
About a pound of Italian sausage
     Note: Dad usually does some sweet Italian sausage and a couple hot Italian sausage, removed from casing. All hot is usually too hot for most people. He uses about 5 of the large links. Bear sausage is amazing, Dad says.
Herbs
     Note: Try one of these combinations: Poultry seasoning and bottled (dried) sage; garden herbs like fennel seads (toasted and crushed) and rosemary (chopped finely); fresh sage and rosemary; Herbs du Provence; oregano.
Other ingredients
     Note: Such as dried cranberries (Dad does this a lot), chestnuts, waterchestnuts, walnuts and raisins (a favorite of Grandma Peterson), pecans, dried cherries, other dried fruit, pinenuts. One year, Dad did Challah egg bread, sweet Italian sausage, roasted chestnuts, pecans, parsley, sage, chicken stock, butter, onion, salt, pepper, celery. This year, we did a specialty French bread with a bit of sandwich bread, fennel seeds (toasted and crushed), rosemary, sweet and hot Italian sausage, dried cranberries, chicken stock, butter, onion, salt, pepper, and fennel (bulb).
A couple of eggs
Chicken or turkey stock--more than you would think
Salt and pepper, to taste 

Procedure

1. Cube and dry the bread overnight.
2. Saute the onions and celery/fennel (bulb), then cook the sausage.
3. To your dried bread, add your miscellaneous ingredients, chicken or turkey stock, herbs, and salt/pepper. Taste it to get the right flavor.
4. Then add the eggs. Make sure that the stuffing is a bit moist when you put it in the bird so it doesn't dry out.
5. Add to the bird. Make sure it is hot enough when you pull it out of the turkey. If not, you will have to put it in a pan and bake it until it is done. Otherwise, it'll still have bacteria from the raw bird in it. 

Mormon Scones

When I went to Girl's Camp with the Pleasanton CA Stake for the first time when I was fourteen or fifteen, I was introduced to something they called, "scones." My mom brought us up with tea on Sundays, holidays, when we were sick, or whenever she felt like it, and true scones often accompanied tea time or brunch, so when they called these puffy fried pastries "scones" I wondered what on earth they meant. Again, when I went to school in Utah, I was served "scones" that weren't really scones. But they were good. They were really good. Similar to beignets, Mormon scones are bits of fried bread batter, covered in whatever topping you want, from powdered sugar or honey to jam or Nutella.

Ingredients
 

Yeast Dough

1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoons sugar
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, melted & cooled
3 eggs

Scones
1 batch yeast dough, risen double it's normal size
2 quarts frying oil (Canola works well)
Powdered sugar, honey butter, jam (optional toppings)


Procedure 

Preparing Dough
1. Combine water, yeast & sugar in small bowl.  Set aside and allow yeast to activate.
2. Combine Flour, Sugar, Salt in large bowl.
3. Stir together melted cooled better and 3 eggs. Add yeast mixture.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Knead lightly, put in (flour) dusted bowl, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Let rise on greased baking sheet for 1 hour.

Frying the Scones
1. Prepare a drain plate and set aside.
2. Split dough into two equal parts.  Take one part and roll out on a flat floured surface to approximately 1/4" thick.  Using a pizza cutter, cut rolled dough into pieces approximately 3" - 4" each.
3. Heat oil in large heavy pan to 350 - 375 F over medium-high heat.  Once temperature is achieved, reduce heat slightly.
4. Carefully place two or three scones in the oil.  Cook for a couple minutes, or until slightly golden and flip.  Cook an additional couple minutes until slightly golden and remove immediately to your prepared drain plate.
5. Repeat cooking, two or three scones at a time, until all dough has been fried.

Serve hot with desired toppings.

Grandma Dana's Banana Nut Bread

This banana nut bread is my Great-Grandma Sarah Dana's bread. It's an excellent way to get rid of overripe bananas, but it does better in smaller loaf pans than larger ones. Like the zucchini/pumpkin bread in the last post, it freezes quite well. To freeze, first wrap each individual loaf in plastic wrap, then again in foil.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 well-beaten eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) sour cream
1 cup mashed banana pulp
1 cup walnuts or other nuts

Procedure:
1. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat until creamy.
2. Add sifted flour with soda and salt. Alternately add sour cream and banana pulp. Add nuts last.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Aunt Audrey's Zucchini or Pumpkin Bread

I've mentioned before that I lost all of my heirloom recipes when we moved from Provo to Monterey. When we went to visit my parents' house this weekend, I managed to pillage the family cookbook and rescue most of the old recipes!

This particular recipe works for zucchini or pumpkin bread, and the recipe notes the small changes between the two. It's a delicious recipe from my Great-Aunt Audrey. During the summer months while I was growing up, when our zucchini plants would go out of control as zucchini plants are apt to do, we would make tons of this bread and freeze some of it for later. Around the holidays, we made the pumpkin bread and gave it to our neighbors and friends. To freeze it, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, and then wrap it in foil.


Ingredients

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
(Zucchini bread) 1 teaspoon cinnamon
(Pumpkin bread) 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated (or pumpkin)

Procedure

1. Beat oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Put in small loaf pans or shallow oblong baking dish.
3. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for one hour or until done.

Flour Tortilla/Flat Bread

The first year of college was definitely a time of experimentation with cooking for me. I had learned the basics of cooking from my parents while I was growing up, but until I moved out and started cooking for myself, I didn't really get the chance to learn how to cook what I actually would eat on a daily basis, instead of cookies and the like. Since I like Mexican food, I looked up a recipe for flour tortillas that I could make easily and found this one: http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipe.html. Until now, I have had to return to this website every time I want to make this recipe because I have lost the cards I've written it down on a thousand times! I have never been able to make these tortillas well enough so that they look like true tortillas, but I have been very successful in making a light flat bread that is perfect for any sort of dish or meal where you eat with your hands (like Indian food!).

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

Procedure

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening, using a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands.

2. Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water.

3. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

4. Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

5. This is a good time to heat up the frying pan. You will want to set it at medium heat. If it is too hot the flatbreads will cook too fast.

6. Now you can roll out the dough with your rolling pin or your hands. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Roll them out fairly thin, but not too thin. Thinner makes more of a cracker; thicker makes more of a flatbread.

7. Spray the pan with cooking spray each time you make a flatbread. Lay your flatbread on the hot pan. It takes just a few minutes to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer.

They are ready to be served!

Rich Bread Pudding with Non-Alcoholic Rum Sauce

Photo courtesy of myrecipes.com

During my first summer away at college, I decided to try out Bread Pudding, something my dad had made a few times but which I couldn't remember very well. I had just made Egg Bread (which was delicious) and made the bread pudding out of that. Then, for Halloween last year, I made this for my parents who had come to visit. My mom was amazed and told me it was the best bread pudding she had ever had! I don't remember what other bread pudding tastes like, so I'll just have to take her word for it.
Any sort of rich, stiff bread will do, but don't use mundane breads like white bread or wheat bread that you would use to make sandwiches. Specialty breads and homemade breads are much better for holding the liquids that make this dessert amazing. 

Ingredients 

Bread Pudding
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups milk/half and half mixture: Use 1 pint half and half, and add enough milk to make up the difference
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla (extract works, but real vanilla is better)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 oz French or other firm bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
1/2 cup raisins 

Topping (can be mixed in instead)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Non-Alcoholic Rum Sauce
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rum extract 

Procedure 

1. Grease bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat 4 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, and 3/4 cup sugar with wire whisk until well blended. Beat in milk, half and half, whipping cream, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until well blended. Stir in the bread pieces and the raisins. Let stand an hour, then pour into baking dish.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. In small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well blended. Sprinkle over top of bread pudding. At this point, the original recipe says to mix the cinnamon sugar with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and then drizzle it over the pudding, but I skipped the butter, sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on top, and then mixed it all together. Since there is a rum sauce that gets poured over the pudding later, I find a sublayer of cinnamon sugar to be pointless.

5. Bake uncovered for 55 to 65 minutes or until top is puffed and light golden brown. The center will jiggle slightly. Cool 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat; do not allow to simmer. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mix egg and water in a bowl, then stir into butter until well blended. Stir in 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon rum extract.

7. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat, and pour over bread pudding. Cool until the topping is hard enough to keep its shape (more or less) when the pudding is served.

Enjoy!

(Must be refrigerated if not immediately completely consumed.)