Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Sean found this recipe from Food & Wine, and while last year's Thanksgiving stuffing was delicious, we decided to change it up this year with a cornbread recipe.  With the unique addition of roasted poblano peppers, this seemed like a perfect one to try.  We made the cornbread a couple days ahead of time to cut down on the Thanksgiving day preparations.  The flavor of the stuffing was so delicious- a little sweet from the cornbread, and extra savory from the country sausage and vegetable combination.  It was a big hit! 

Ingredients:

• corn bread (made in one 13x9 sized baking dish) We used the recommended country corn bread recipe, but you could also do a box mix. 
• 4 medium poblano chiles
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 pound coarsely ground country sausage meat or breakfast sausage without casings
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

Directions:
Break the corn bread into 1-inch pieces and spread on a baking sheet.  Let it dry out for 4 hours (or longer).  We put ours in a barely warm oven for 30 minutes or so to help it dry out faster.  

Heat the broiler and place the poblanos on a foil covered baking sheet.  Roast them until the skin is charred and bubbly on both sides, flipping as needed.  Remove from the oven and fold up the sides of the foil creating a pouch around the peppers.  This will help sweat the skins off so they'll be easier to remove.  After 15-20 minutes, peel the skins off and remove the seeds.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter until foaming. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. 

Add the sausage, breaking it up, and cook until no pink remains.

Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper and poblanos, and finally mix in the corn bread.  Stir in the turkey/chicken stock.

Spread the stuffing in a large buttered casserole dish.  Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer until the top is a golden-brown.  You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate for 1-2 days before baking.  This was so flavorful and delicous with our Thanksgiving dinner.  The leftovers also made a great savory breakfast!

Thanksgiving Pizza

For Sean, it's a yearly tradition to make pizza out of the Thanksgiving leftovers, turkey and cranberry sauce to be specific.  It's a great way to transform the flavors into a completely new dish, and of course pizza is always delicious!  We added some leftover cooked bacon which really stood out against the sweetness of the cranberry sauce.  This is so good you may decide to make it one of your Thanksgiving traditions too!

Ingredients:
1 pizza dough (ours was about 1.5 pounds so we could make a pretty large one)
1 1/2 cups homemade cranberry sauce, or enough to lightly cover the dough
1/4 onion, sliced
3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups cooked shredded turkey
8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese shredded (about 2 cups)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Stretch the pizza dough out onto a large rectangle baking sheet (or two small ones).  Then spread the cranberry sauce on top in place of tomato sauce.

Next, begin putting the toppings on the pizza, saving cheese for last.  Try to evenly spread them and don't overload it too much or you won't taste the cranberry.  Finally, sprinkle the cheese all over and it's ready to go in the oven!

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Cut into squares and gobble it up.  (get it?)

Sage Sausage Stuffing

This recipe was my favorite side dish on the Thanksgiving dinner table.  I'd never made stuffing (ok, dressing) with sausage in it before, and it really makes a big difference flavor-wise.  You could eliminate it to accommodate vegetarians, but I definitely recommend trying it if you can!  The fresh herbs smell delicious and it really pays off to make this savory dish from scratch.

 

Ingredients:

1 loaf of good quality white bread (about 1.5 pounds)
12-16 oz sage sausage removed from casings (I used Jimmy Dean)
4 oz butter (half a stick)
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup minced sage leaves
2 eggs
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup minced parsely

Directions:
Start by preheating the oven to 275 degrees F.  Then, cut the bread into 3/4 inch cubes and spread them out on a large baking sheet.  Bake until completely dried out, about 45 minutes total.  Mix them up and change layers in the oven every 10 minutes to make sure they evenly cook.  Let them cool when they are done.  You can do this ahead of time and store the bread cubes in an air tight container.

Preheat the oven (or increase heat) to 375 degrees F. Heat butter in a pan over medium heat and add the sausage, breaking it up into little pieces as it browns.

When the sausage is browned, add the onion, green pepper, and celery until it begins to soften.  Don't forget to add salt and pepper as you go.  Then, add the garlic and sage and continue cooking for a few minutes longer. It should take about 10 minutes total for the vegetables.

Remove the pan from heat and add half of the chicken broth.
To the remaining half of the broth, add the parsley and eggs and mix well.  Take this mixture and add it to the sausage mixture.  In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes and the sauce mixture, and mix together well with tongs.

Pour the stuffing into a greased casserole dish (unless you are using it to stuff the bird!) and bake for 45 minutes covered in foil.  Then remove the cover and continue baking for 15 minutes until the top browns and crisps up.  Serve alongside with your turkey & gravy.

MMMMMMM!

Ginger Apple Cranberry Sauce

As I was searching for a cranberry sauce recipes, I came across one that included crystallized ginger.  I had to try it because my friend Katie had just left me with some leftover crystallized ginger after we made ginger rice pudding.  Along with lemon zest and juice, I also added apple for some extra texture and sweetness (and because we had some on hand).  The result was tart and sweet with a hint of gingery spice.  An easy way to change up your typical Thanksgiving cranberry sauce!

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries (12 oz)... about 4 cups

1 cup of water

1/2 cup sugar

zest and juice of one lemon

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, matchstick sliced

1 cup diced apple

Directions:

Combine water and sugar in a small-medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat

Once sugar has completely dissolved, add the cranberries.  Then, add the lemon juice, zest, and ginger.  Stir to combine.  The berries will start popping as they cook.  This releases the natural gelatin inside the berry which makes the sauce thicken.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Then, add the apples, and cook for 3-5 minutes longer.  You should be able to tell that the berries have all popped and the mixture should be pretty thick.  Set aside to cool and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat.  Easy to make ahead for the big meal!

 

Enjoy with your Thanksgiving Dinner!