Stuff It!

Our inaugural contest at Modern Epicure should be a fun one, right in time for Thanksgiving! Post your best Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing Recipe to our Community as a blog post. Be sure to tag your post with the words “Thanksgiving Stuffing” so our judges can easily find your recipe. The top 3 highest rated recipes will receive the following prizes:

1st Prize: $150 Gift Certificate to Williams Sonoma

2nd Prize: A Modern Epicure T-shirt of your Choice

3rd Prize: A Modern Epicure Coffee Mug

The deadline for entries is Monday, November 24th at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. Winners will be announced Tuesday, November 25th, just in time for your holiday cooking festivities. Join the fun, and post your Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Today!

Click here to view our contest rules.

Our latest entry comes from community member msclassy2you.

Mom’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

This recipe has been in my family for years. I can still remember my grandmother & mother cutting up all the onions & celery when I was a child. This is my daughter’s favorite. One year, when she was in college, I think everyone in her school tasted my stuffing and begged for more! Right Jennifer?

This recipe is for a larger turkey, but you can cut it in half for a smaller one.

2 loaves of bread ( I always use 2 Sunbeam Ranch loaves)

2 1/4 cups of butter

3 cups of chopped celery

3 cups of chopped onions

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

The day before, break up the bread into small pieces in a flat pan to let it dry out. Keep tossing it so the pieces underneath also harden. With so much bread, this can take awhile.

The next day, put the bread cubes in a large pot, (the bigger the better).

Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour over the bread pieces.

Add the onions, celery, salt & pepper.

Mix well with your hands (clean of course) so that all the bread is moist from the butter.

Stuff the cavities of the turkey loosely.

If there is stuffing left, (there should be) just make packets out of double layered foil and bake in the oven. But watch these packets closely, so they don’t burn. I cook my turkey at 325 so don’t put these in the oven until the last hour. I check them after 30 minutes and if the onions & celery are soft then remove them from the oven and just let them sit.

Remove the stuffing from the turkey and mix in with the foil packets for moist stuffing!

Enjoy!!

Our first entry comes from community member DotcomCowgirl:

Toasted Pecan, Cider and Cornbread Stuffing

This is a classic from Butterball that we’ve used in our family for years… hey, it isn’t a Holiday food item in Texas if it doesn’t have Pecans in it!

Ingredients

• no-stick cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bag (16 ounces) cornbread stuffing crumbs
• 2 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add celery and onion. Cook and stir 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans, sage, salt and pepper.

4. Place stuffing crumbs in large bowl. Add vegetable mixture; mix lightly.

5. Stir in apple cider and butter until well blended.

6. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until hot.

Servings

Serves approx. 18

To toast pecans, spread pecans in ungreased pan. Bake in a preheated oven 350°F oven 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until light brown.