Ma P's Bread Stuffing

Ma P is Mr. Hungry's Mom.  Since they've moved to BC from Ontario, we get to spend more time together and at times, cooking is the front runner activity.  Or chasing children, which Ma P does with style.

No shame in giggling and carrying on just like one of the kids around our house!  And she does that and more.  And, she can cook.  Which is nice because cooking alone gets boring (as does talking to one's self) and why not share the load!

And on a quiet Christmas eve, you'll be sure to find Ma P with a nice cool glass of Bailey's on ice.  OK - a few glasses.  Or heck - the whole bottle!  And I'm not ashamed to join her!  No twisting my arm involved (or my rubber liver either).

Why?  Beyond the taste - Christmas eve is OUR time, Ma P and I.  Bailey's tastes great, involved NO mixing and icicles are usually handy hanging from the roof if we run out of ice cubes!

So, Ma P showed us how to make HER stuffing for turkey.  And since we can't resist an excuse to cook a bird in this house - we had turkey for Easter dinner and stuffed that bad boy (or was it a girl) up real good!


Ma P's Bread Stuffing
Makes: enough to fill a 15lb bird
              + a small casserole dish

2 loaves brown bread
1 c diced onion
1 c diced celery
1 1/2 c butter
1 Tbsp sage
2-4 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 c chicken stock
2 tsp ground black pepper

* It's always best to use stale-ish ore few days old bread for stuffing.  If you happen to grab all your ingredients only a few days before you're going to start to cook (like me), don't panic.  The night before you're going to make the stuffing - tear a hole in the bread bag so some air can get in and dry the bread out a bit.


Begin by chopping your onions and celery.  I find a fine chopped vegetable works best.  Then you're not eating crunchy stuffing - which might be fine for some people but not for me.

Tear bread into 1"x1" pieces, and toss them into a large (I mean LARGE) bowl.  Use 2 smaller bowls if you need to - just split the rest the the steps between the 2 bowls.

Over medium-high heat, melt the butter.



Add onions and celery and saute for about 5 minutes.




While vegetables are cooking, sprinkle sage over the bread pieces and toss well to distribute.


Add the remaining spices to the butter/vegetable mixture and mix well.

Continue cooking until vegetables are soft, about 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat.



In the large bowl with bread pieces, slowly add the butter/vegetable mixture and (using a big spoon or your hands) toss lightly.  You don't want to make a 'mash' but still have recognizable bread pieces.

 A bit at a time, slowly add the chicken stock.  Test the stuffing by forming a handful into a small ball.

When the ball holds without too much pressure - you're done! 


You may find that some days you need more liquid and other days you need less!
 

Stuff your bird and bake.  Here's a great chart to help you determine the best cooking time for you: Turkey Cooking Chart.










You can also fill a buttered casserole dish with the stuffing (we always make more as it's the favorite), cover and bake at 350/F for about 30-40 minutes.







The baked stuffing tastes just as the one baked in the bird, so there's always a reason to make stuffing!

Change it up a bit with some different spices and a different meat to go with it, so suit your tastes and enjoy creating your own family tradition stuffing!

--The Cook