I'm a southern gal with a passion for cooking and baking from scratch, the old fashioned way!
Here is another wonderful vintage recipe from my mom’s friend Sue. We have made it with Sue’s original recipe, but we’ve also tweaked it to be a bit lighter. Try it the old fashioned way or the basmati way – either way it’s absolutely delicious! The perfect side dish to accompany beef or pork!
Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers!! What a wonderful day to be surrounded by family, friends, and FOOD!
Even on those years when my parents don’t host Thanksgiving dinner at their house (our families alternate years), they still roast a whole turkey. Why go to all the trouble? Well, for the leftovers, of course!
I think there are two really unique things that my family does when we roast a turkey. The first is the stuffing. My grandmother, Nanny, makes the stuffing every year. She will tell you that it’s very simple – just some breadcrumbs (made from plain white hamburger buns!), melted butter, chicken broth, and some poultry seasoning. But I’m telling you . . . . it’s simply magical. I can’t even look at recipes for stuffing that include a lot of *stuff* – the simple classic has spoiled me. I don’t want cranberries, mushrooms, lentils, oysters, carrots, celery, onion, raisins, or even cornbread in my stuffing! Give me Nanny’s, or I’ll just pass on this dish altogether!!!
The second unique touch in our family turkey recipe is the sausage. (And NO, the sausage does NOT go in the dressing!) About mid-way through the roasting process, we place traditional link sausages (usually Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean brand) all around the base of the turkey. They roast to perfection, all the while basting the turkey with their wonderfully flavorful juices! Everyone takes a link to have on their plate next to all the delicious veggies.
We have a few other turkey-day tricks up our sleeve in my family, but I have to save some of those for the years to come!
In the meantime, best wishes to all of my dear readers for a wonderful holiday season for you and your precious families!
One of the first recipes I ever mastered – at the ripe old age of 7 years – was a basic drop biscuit. Such a simple art, but with such delicious results. This particular drop biscuit is similar to the one that I made when I was a little girl, only jazzed up with sharp cheddar and fragrant garlic. The crispy outside of this biscuit yields to a light, fluffy, and tender inside that will melt in your mouth.
And best of all? It’s extremely easy to make.
Look for more of my bread recipes over the next several weeks as I gear up to sell some at our local farmers’ market next month! There’s just nothing like a fresh, home-baked loaf of bread, ya know?