Hopefully you've decided by now where you'll have Thanksgiving dinner, now, how about the menu? Are you a tried and true, gotta make 'grandma's stuffing' and hubby would be disappointed if you changed up the cranberry recipe? Either way, over the next few weeks, we'll explore the favorites and some newbies.

Thanksgiving Dinner
hillaryandanna, flickr
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Because my favorite is stuffing, we'll start there. The beauty of stuffing is that it can be anything, anyway you want it. Stuffing can be savory, sweet, nutty, crunchy and mushy. You decide what you prefer, I am one of the 'grandma's stuffing' girls, plain, simple and oh so yummy. But today, I will twist it all in a knot and give you something new to consider.

With stuffing there is bread, milk, broth, soup, seasonings, some veggies etc... that of course is a basic stuffing recipe... now its time to get jiggy with the standards... Ready?

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

For this recipe we'll use Sheppard's bread (don't freak out, I don't expect you to make it, all the stores carry it in the bakery section) :) 3 stalks of celery (diced), 1 large onion (diced), 2 whole carrots (diced), a bunch of fresh spinach (chopped), 2 sticks of butter, poultry seasoning (you'll find this in the seasoning section of the grocery or you could make your own-I used the already made stuff), a tsp of Oregano, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 cups chicken broth

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Cut your Sheppard's bread loaf in big chunks and let dry on counter. In a small saucepan heat a Tbs of butter with a 1/4 of your diced onions adding the neck from your turkey (you may need to cut it in chunks or in half) once the neck has browned a bit add the heavy cream and turn the setting as low as it goes and let that simmer for about 15 minutes. While that is simmering melt the rest of the butter in a large saucepan, add the carrots, onions and celery, cook till tender add the seasoning's, cook for about a minute stirring and add the broth, turn the heat to low, remove the turkey neck from your heavy cream and add the cream to the large saucepan (if you like a heavier sage flavor, add additional sage-start with tsp) Now, what about that bread? Tear the slices you had cut up earlier and put in a large bowl, about one inch pieces, but really no one is measuring. Add the spinach and pour the hot liquid/veggie mixture over the bread and toss with hands till moisten-to be clear, the turkey neck should not be in your stuffing. :) if the mixture seems too dry, add a little extra chicken broth, but no more than a 1/4 cup at a time, too much and it will end up mushy... the Sheppard's bread is hearty, you should be fine, just add it slowly. Fold it into a baking dish, that you have greased, and bake at 350 for at least a half an hour, test the top to see if its crunchy, but also put a knife down the side and make sure the center isn't 'wet'. Serve with gravy and Enjoy!

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