Stuffing or Dressing?

System

We love to talk about food here in the content department at MLSP and with the biggest eating holiday of all just around the corner, the age old debate of stuffing or dressing has returned. I've always thought this was a great ice breaker question because the person's answer immediately tells you if they are a Southerner or not. So, what's your family's traditional main side dish at big holiday meals? Stuffing or dressing?

plynnl

Traditional bread dressing but mixed with cornbread, sausage and mushrooms. We do not stuff the turkey but make the dressing separate.

NaeNae55

We make cornbread dressing and stuff the bird with some of it. Trying to please everyone also gets us 2-3 kinds of cranberry sauce and at least 3-4 types of pies (plus other deserts). There are usually more food dishes on the table then there are people. It is truly a feast.

cnghr

We don't stuff the bird, but my brother always makes dressing from my mom's recipe. Neither my brother or sister who live in town ever married or established their own particular holiday traditions, so they both like to stick fairly close to what we grew up with. My brother makes a cranberry chutney mom used to make, even though he doesn't really like it. I prefer homemade cranberry sauce, and everybody else likes the jellied stuff out of a can. We all agree on pumpkin pie, although I like to make either a cheesecake or an apple or pecan pie as well. My brother still makes mincemeat pie every year, even though most of us don't like it, because mom always made it. Thank goodness, though, after mom died we all agreed never to make her yucky lime jello molded salad ever again!

plynnl

Somehow my husband and I became the "go to" place for holiday dinners. I can't see that changing for a long time as kids or our parents are not interesting in cooking or hosting. We home smoke a turkey and also roast one and have enough other things to send home care packages and still last us for many meals.

System

We do a pot luck meal at church after our Thanksgiving service and it's great. You get every kind of side dish and turkey done all kinds of different ways. The new thing I did last year was brandied, candied cranberries from a recipe I found in a Southern Living cookbook at the library. Fabulous! Only at Thanksgiving can you take something nutritious like a cranberry and make it completely unhealthy.

plynnl

Who wants to be healthy on Thanksgiving?[IMG]http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_5_19.gif[/IMG]

NaeNae55

[QUOTE=plynnl;718225]Somehow my husband and I became the "go to" place for holiday dinners. I can't see that changing for a long time as kids or our parents are not interesting in cooking or hosting. We home smoke a turkey and also roast one and have enough other things to send home care packages and still last us for many meals.[/QUOTE]

We started having Thanksgiving at my house when I was in my early 20's. After we moved to Kansas we did all holidays at my house. Last year we lost my mom and I was definitely NOT in the mood (her birthday is November 24th). Somehow I ended up doing dinner at one of our daughter's with everyone chipping in.

2 daughters bought a home this year, so we are doing Thanksgiving at one (where I am still in charge of the meal) and Christmas at the other's. She will be making her first holiday meal (with mom there to help). I think I am ready for the change. I love doing the meal, but 30+ years is enough.

NaeNae55

[QUOTE=Wendi Watts;718226]We do a pot luck meal at church after our Thanksgiving service and it's great. You get every kind of side dish and turkey done all kinds of different ways. The new thing I did last year was brandied, candied cranberries from a recipe I found in a Southern Living cookbook at the library. Fabulous! Only at Thanksgiving can you take something nutritious like a cranberry and make it completely unhealthy.[/QUOTE]

Recipe? Please?

cnghr

We always did Thanksgiving at my parents' house until mom developed Alzheimer's and it got to be too much to expect her to host the meal. I started to have Thanksgiving at my house every year, although we have done it at my son's place a few times also.

I really like having it at my house the best; we do lots of other meals and get-togethers at my son & daughter-in-law's house so it makes it more special to have it at my place. We generally do Thanksgiving at our place and Christmas at my son's, so I don't get completely burned out on hosting big holiday meals.

And yes, please do post the candied cranberry recipe...I made candied cranberries one year and they were SOOOOO good but I promptly lost the recipe and haven't found another one that sounded as good.

System

I'll have to find it, but I'll get it posted tomorrow. It's super easy to make.

joannie

As we have for over a decade, we will be spending Thanksgiving at the Elk's Lodge again this year preparing and delivering dinners for those in need. I'm afraid we will see a large increase in the numbers fed this year and unfortunately our donations are down considerably. If anyone has a good loaves and fishes miracle to send our way, we would appreciate it.

System

Here's the recipe. Unless you are feeding an army, you might want to cut it in half since it makes a lot. This is from the Christmas with Southern Living Cookbook

3 (12-oz) packages of fresh or frozen cranberries
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup brandy

Arrange cranberries evenly in a single layer in 2 lightly greased 15x10 jelly roll pans. (I put aluminum foil on the bottom of the pans and sprayed that to make clean up easier.) Sprinkle sugar evenly over cranberries. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, switching pans to opposite oven racks after 30 minutes. Spoon cranberries into large serving bowl. Stir in brandy. Let cool. Serve at room temperature or cover and chill. Yields 5/1-2 cups. Can store in the fridge for up to one week, so this is a great make-ahead dish.

I found this cookbook at my local library. It has a LOT of great recipes for the holidays.

cnghr

Thanks, Wendi. Sounds yummy and extremely easy, which are two of the most important things about any recipe, as far as I'm concerned!

plynnl

I am really liking the Brandy part.