Dressing In A Casserole Or A Bird Recipes

CHICKEN 'N' DRESSING CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place chicken in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the flour, broth and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken., In a large skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. Stir in seasonings. Remove from the heat; add the stuffing cubes, cornbread, broth and egg. Mix well. Spoon over chicken mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°., For gravy, melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken and dressing.,

FARMHOUSE HERBED STUFFING

Steps:

• In 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderate heat, heat butter until hot but not smoking. Stir in onion and celery, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (Vegetables can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before continuing: In 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, sauté, stirring often, until heated through, about 5 minutes.)
• Transfer to large bowl and add stuffing cubes, parsley, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1¼ cups hot stock.
• If using to stuff turkey:
• Use immediately to fill cavities and spread remainder in baking dish as directed in Classic Roast Turkey recipe .
• If baking in a casserole pan:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter 3-quart casserole or 9-by 13-inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to dish and drizzle with ½ cup hot stock (stuffing baked outside of the turkey won't be soaked in the turkey's juices, so extra stock is drizzled on top to keep it moist). Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
• Variations:
• Sausage and Sage Stuffing: In large, heavy skillet over moderate heat, sauté 1 pound bulk pork sausage, breaking up pieces with spoon, until meat shows no sign of pink, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl. Proceed with recipe, adding ingredients to bowl with sausage and substituting 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage for dried rosemary and sage.
• Dried Apricot and Pecan Stuffing: Dried fruit are better than fresh in stuffing because the latter get soggy with long baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1½ cups (6 ounces) pecans on rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop. In medium bowl, combine 1½ cups diced dried apricots and hot water to cover. Soak until apricots plump, about 30 minutes, then drain well. Proceed with recipe, tossing apricots and pecans with other ingredients in large bowl.
• Test-Kitchen Tips: Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. Stuffing baked outside of the turkey can be spread in the baking dish and refrigerated for a few hours while the turkey roasts, but it should be prepared on the same day as baking.

SHIRLEY'S SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a saucepan over med. heat, boil the fresh pork sausage and gizzards, along with the margarine, onions, and celery, in 1 quart of water, for 30 minutes Strain, saving water.
• Put the onions, celery, and sausage in a lg. bowl, and set aside.
• Put the gizzards, and meat picked from the neck, in a blender, and press chop. (Do it quickly, and stop to mix meats, then pulse for 1-2 seconds again. You do not want it to be mushy). When all is chopped fine, put in the lg. bowl, along with onions, celery, and sausage.
• You may also grind the gizzards, and other meat parts in a meat grinder instead of the blender if you have one.
• Add to the sausage, onion and celery.
• When ready to stuff the bird and bake:.
• In a lg. bowl crumble your bread, crust and all, (I roll the bread between my hands to crumble it).
• Crush the crackers right in the closed sleeves, (but be careful not to push too fast or you may open the pkg). When crushed, open the sleeve and put in the bowl, along with the bread. Mix up well.
• Mix the meat mixture with the dry mixture.
• Add enough liquid from the sausage, gizzards, heart and neck stock (a little at a time), to make the stuffing to the desired consistency, of if not using these parts, use some chicken or turkey broth.
• Toss with a fork, until well mixed. Gently knead the mixture to distribute the ingredients.
• (The stuffing should have enough liquid so it holds together in a ball if you squeeze it in your hands, but not mushy, especially if you are stuffing your turkey, as the juices from the turkey make it moist as it is cooking.
• Add poultry seasoning, tasting as you go, to get it the way you like it.
• Salt and pepper, to taste.
• Stuff the bird right before putting it in the oven. DO NOT stuff the bird and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
• The stuffing should be warm or room temperature when you are ready to put it in the bird.
• Plan to use 3/4 cup stuffing for each pound of turkey.
• To stuff the neck, first pack it loosely with stuffing.
• Pin the neck skin over the exposed stuffing with a skewer, or flip the wing tips up to hold it in place.
• Spoon stuffing loosely in the main body cavity.
• Cover exposed stuffing with a swatch of aluminum foil or a piece of bread.
• Roast turkey using desired method. I bake mine at 350, and go by the pounds on the turkey label for the hours needed to roast.
• Baste turkey with pan drippings at least 3 times during cooking time to get nice crispy skin, and help to keep turkey moist.
• Use a meat thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F before removing from the oven.
• Keep in mind that a "pop-up" thermometer that comes with a turkey won't tell you the temperature of the stuffing.
• Place any extra stuffing in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake, NO MORE THAN 8 hours before cooking the bird.
• Pour 1/2 cup turkey or chicken stock over the extra stuffing, and bake at 350, for 30-60 minutes covered with aluminum foil.
• After the turkey is done roasting, remove stuffing immediately from the bird, and place in a bowl. (I use an aluminum bowl and cover with aluminum foil to keep it nice and hot, until serving time.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of taking out of the oven.
• Store leftover turkey and stuffing in shallow containers with covers, and use within 2-3 days.
• You may freeze but use within 3 months.
• Tips & Warnings:.
• Avoid pre-stuffed fresh turkeys, and DO NOT stuff birds to cook on a grill or smoker, or if you plan to deep fry.
• Always stuff a bird just BEFORE roasting.
• The stuffing should be warm, NOT hot or cold, when you pack it in the bird, otherwise the roasting time will be off, and the temperature will not reach 165 degrees F before the rest of the bird is done.
• Don't overstuff the turkey, because the stuffing will expand as the bird roasts.
• Following these simple steps is the safest way to stop airborne bacteria from invading your turkey and stuffing and making you sick.

BREAD AND CELERY STUFFING

Steps:

• Let bread slices air dry for 1 to 2 hours, then cut into cubes.
• In a Dutch oven, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Cook onion and celery until soft. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread cubes until evenly coated. Moisten with chicken broth; mix well.
• Chill, and use as a stuffing for turkey, or bake in a buttered casserole dish at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes.

BREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook celery and onion in butter 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove Dutch oven from the heat.
• Gently toss celery mixture and remaining ingredients, using spoon, until bread cubes are evenly coated.
• Use to stuff one 10- to 12-pound turkey. Or to bake stuffing separately, grease 3-quart casserole or rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Place stuffing in casserole or baking dish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.