Recipe: Turkey Dressing from Scratch

This is a quick and easy recipe for turkey dressing (stuffing), from scratch, that anyone can make. All you need is:

one loaf of bread

one large onion

2 tbsp chicken boullion

1/4 tsp pepper.

A lot of people also like chopped celery (1 cup) and dried sage leaves (1 1/2 tsp) in their dressing, so those items are optional, considering the particular tastes of the individual.

Directions:

Cut your bread slices into cubes (approximately the size of sugar cubes), and put into a large bowl. Then chop and add the onion. Next, add approximately 2 tbsp of chicken boullion (Chicken-in-a-Mug or OXO brand chicken boullion, which is a dried chicken stock that you might also use in home made soups). Add 1/4 tsp of pepper and blend well.

* note: If you are using a pre-basted turkey, only wash the outside of the turkey before preparing it for the stuffing. Do not rinse out the interior, otherwise the pre basting butter will disintegrate. However, if you are not using a pre-basted turkey, be sure to wash both outside and inside of the turkey with cool tap water, and pat dry with paper towel, prior to adding the stuffing. This will help to prevent the possibility of salmonella from transferring to the dressing and spoiling your turkey dinner. Also be sure to use the correct cooking time and temperature when roasting your Holiday turkey.

** note: Never pre-stuff your turkey. Some cooks might think they are saving time by stuffing their thawed turkey the night before. This is NOT recommended, as that would allow the salmonella bacteria time to grow and multiply. Always stuff your turkey just prior to putting it in the oven.

Now that you have the ingredients all blended together, start to stuff the cavity of the turkey with your dressing. If you find you have left over stuffing, you can also tuck the remaining stuffing inside the neck cavity.

This is a tried and true recipe that has been in my family for the last 4 generations (working on the 5th generation) and is very much enjoyed by everyone.