BarbaraRose is all smiles in her kitchen "doctoring up" newfound recipes.
“I love Thanksgiving because to me it means just that: being thankful for what life has given you, and what you, in turn, have made of it,” says BarbaraRose Farber of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“It’s my favorite holiday to cook for because, first and foremost, I love turkey! But mainly it brings back childhood memories of my family gathering at my grandparents’ home for special occasions. To this day I serve things I enjoyed then—relish trays of dill and sour pickles, sauerkraut and pickled tomatoes—these were bountiful at that time of year and the excess was pickled to preserve.
“The first huge Thanksgiving feast I made was at my late mother-in-law’s in Florida. We were visiting along with other family and friends. In total, we had 20 seated around the table. It was a challenge since I had never cooked for that many before. The turkey weighed in at 25 pounds, probably close to 30 stuffed. I precooked two casserole dishes of stuffing the day before and cooked and peeled the yams. When we sat down to eat at 2 o’clock, I was so proud of myself, exhausted but proud.
“Today my husband and I have Thanksgiving for just the two of us…well, four, if you count our rescued dogs Jackie and Paco!”
Barbara writes, "I have been making this stuffing since shortly after we were married, and we celebrated our 44th anniversary this past Saturday! Over the years as my cooking improved, I altered the ingredients slightly, even more so when I discovered Penzeys Spices."
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a roomy bowl, combine the bread, celery, onion, mushrooms, POULTRY SEASONING, SAGE and PAPRIKAS. Toss to combine. Barbara enjoys a lot of sage flavor, and uses the larger amounts of spices; feel free to start with the smaller amounts. Spoon into the baking dish. In a separate bowl dissolve the TURKEY SOUP BASE in the hot water. Stir until room temperature. Drizzle over the top of the stuffing, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until moistened but not soupy. You may not need all the stock. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, mix, and add additional liquid if needed. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes.
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Nutritional Information: Servings 10;
Serving Size 1/2 cup (195g); Calories 70; Calories from fat 10; Total fat 1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 640mg; Carbohydrate 14g; Dietary Fiber 2g.
