Grandma’s Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing
This is the best stuffing recipe, very likely the same one your grandma used to make. Made with milk, turkey stock, onions, celery and herbs, this family recipe is the quintessential side dish for Thanksgiving.
“I have been searching for a recipe like this for years. Family members loved this! Thanks for your version which helped me figure out my grandmother’s.”
—Pat
“I ran across your Grandma Mary Ellen’s stuffing recipe last year and what a hit it was!! Thank you!! I too have been searching for a recipe similar to my Grandmother’s and your recipe is spot on!”
—Mary
This is the BEST Stuffing Recipe
You know how you hear about people taking recipes to their grave? My husband’s grandma seriously did that with her Thanksgiving bread stuffing. The only detail she ever gave us was “well, I just soak the bread in milk, really.”
It was the best turkey stuffing in the whole wide world, and I consider myself a stuffing aficionado. It had a simple, comforting flavor and was just perfect in every way.
So, ever since Mary Ellen passed, it’s been my mission to try to recreate this recipe. Using flavor memories and reader comment and e-mails since I first published this recipe in 2014, I’ve been able to get it super close to the original.
The recipe card below reflects ten years of work, and dozens of tests. The recipe in the card below will yield you a delicious old fashioned bread stuffing to serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, I guarantee it.
Why You Will Love Grandma’s Old Fashioned Dressing
- This is a treasured family recipe that is very similar to what many people in the Midwest grew up eating at their own grandma’s table.
- There’s an option to use those giblets that come with your turkey, for extra flavor – or not.
- Make this a day or two before the holiday and bake it before dinner. I do this every year!
What Is Stuffing?
Stuffing, also known as dressing, is a quintessential part of holiday feasts, specially where turkey is served. It’s a mixture of cubed bread, vegetables, and seasonings, and it produces a very comforting blend of flavors and textures.
Technically, it’s called “stuffing” when it gets stuffed into the bird, and “dressing” when its cooked in a separate baking dish.
But, since you tend to have to overcook the turkey to make sure the stuffing reaches a safe temperature, we just cook ours in a baking dish, but we’ve always still called it stuffing.
Homemade Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
- hearty white sliced bread – this is the sturdy bread base that will absorb all the flavors. I usually use Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White sliced bread or something similar.
- unseasoned cubed stuffing (the dried cubes in a bag) – these add an additional textural element to the dish. I usually use Brownberry Premium Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing or something similar.
- whole milk – this adds a creamy richness (and moisture) to the bread stuffing.
- eggs – these act as a binding agent, ensuring that the stuffing holds together as it bakes.
- turkey stock – infuses the stuffing with the essence of roasted turkey. If you can’t find turkey stock, chicken stock works, too!
- butter – it’s not Grandma’s stuffing without plenty of butter to make it irresistible!
- onion, celery, garlic – these aromatic ingredients add layers of complexity and depth of flavor.
- poultry seasoning, dried sage, salt and pepper – these seasonings add the perfect balance of savory and herbal notes to every bite. Yes, there is sage in poultry seasoning, but we use extra sage, too!
- giblets from 1 turkey (OPTIONAL) – you can use everything exept the neck, if you want to. These are optional but add a ton of flavor to the stuffing.
Best bread for stuffing
The flavors of Mary Ellen’s stuffing were pretty easy to figure out (leaning on sage, butter, onion and celery). But figuring out the what type of bread to use has been much harder.
At one point, I believe Mary Ellen mentioned that she soaked white bread in milk, and then wrung it out. I’ve tried that several times, but the bread simply falls apart in my hands.
I’ve also tried making this turkey stuffing recipe with ALL toasted white bread, or ALL dried stuffing cubes. It’s fine both of those ways, but this BEST EVER version uses a combination of both.
The combination of fresh white bread (torn by hand, and then toasted in the oven), and a bag of dried stuffing cubes, creates the best flavor and texture for old fashioned bread stuffing.
How to Make Stuffing
- SOAK. If you’re using the optional giblets, put them in a bowl with some milk and let them soak at room temperature for 15 minutes or so. This mellows the intense flavor of the giblets a little bit.
- TOAST. Divide the torn white bread between 2 baking pans and bake it for 12 to 15 minutes or until it’s lightly toasted and crisp.
- COMBINE. Toss the cubed stuffing with beaten eggs, stock and milk.
- MELT. Melt one stick of butter, and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- CHOP. If you’re using the giblets, remove them from the milk and chop them up.
- SAUTE. Start by sauteeing the giblets in butter, if you are using the giblets, or skip straight to sauteeing the onion, celery and garlic. Add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage.
- ADD. Put the toasted white bread, the melted butter, and the sauteed vegetables and/or giblets in the bowl with the cubed stuffing, and stir everything together.
- BAKE. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake it 45 minutes (start covered and then uncover), until the top is golden brown.
How to dry out bread for stuffing
I take the quick route and dry my bread in the oven (350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes).
You can also allow the torn bread to air-dry for a few days by simply leaving it uncovered in your kitchen, but I think drying it in the oven really gives you the best texture in the end.
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How long to bake stuffing
Bake the stuffing at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Home Chef Tips for This Traditional Stuffing Recipe
- To enhance the homemade flavor, use homemade turkey stock made with lots of aromatic vegetables and herbs.
- For a vegetarian stuffing, use homemade vegetable stock, and omit the giblets, of course.
- Feel free to make additions! Sometimes I’ll add a chopped apple or some sausage to this stuffing for even more flavor.
How to Serve This Bread Stuffing Recipe
Serve this bread stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas alongside a showstopping main dish, lots of side dishes, and some beautiful desserts.
More Sides
Bread Stuffing Storage
- MAKE AHEAD. You can fully assemble this stuffing in advance, through the beginning of step 9 in the recipe card below. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake the stuffing, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking according to the directions below.
- LEFTOVERS. Any cooked, leftover stuffing can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Classic Stuffing Recipe FAQs
To achieve a crispy-topped stuffing, make sure you remove the foil from the baking dish for the final 15 minutes of baking time.
Stuffing should be covered for the majority of the baking time to ensure even cooking and a moist texture, but the foil should be removed for the final 15 minutes of the bake so that you can get a golden brown, crispy top.
To maintain moisture, make sure you use as much liquid as the recipe calls for below, and don’t skimp on the butter!
To avoid a mushy texture, make sure your white bread is dried and toasted enough before you add liquid to it. You want the torn bread to be baked nice and crisp before you use it for this homemade stuffing recipe.
More Foxes Love Lemons Favorites
Does your family have a stuffing or dressing recipe similar to Mary Ellen’s? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Classic Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- Giblets from 1 turkey except the neck (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk plus 1 additional cup if using giblets divided
- 1 loaf hearty white sliced bread, torn into small pieces 24 ounces
- 2 eggs
- 1 bag unseasoned cubed stuffing (the dried cubes in a bag) 12 ounces
- 4 cups turkey stock
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
Instructions
- If using giblets, place giblets and 1 cup milk in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide torn white bread between 2 rimmed baking pans. Transfer to oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Set toasted bread aside; leave oven on at 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, place eggs in large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cubed stuffing, stock and remaining 1-1/4 cups milk; toss to combine.
- Melt 8 tablespoons butter in small pot or microwave-safe dish.
- Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray. If using giblets, proceed with Step 6 and then 8-9. If NOT using giblets, proceed with Steps 7-9.
- If using giblets, remove giblets from milk; discard milk. Finely chop giblets. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped giblets and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add poultry seasoning and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- If not using giblets, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add poultry seasoning and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add toasted white bread, melted butter and onion mixture to bowl with cubed stuffing and milk. Stir for 1 minute or until toasted bread is very well moistened.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 minutes longer or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Video
Notes
- To enhance the homemade flavor, use homemade turkey stock made with lots of aromatic vegetables and herbs.
- For a vegetarian stuffing, using homemade vegetable stock, and omit the giblets, of course.
- Feel free to make additions! Sometimes I’ll add a chopped apple or some sausage to this stuffing for even more flavor.
My grandmother made her using Italian loaf bread 1-2 loaves.she tore the bread by hand and left it on cookie sheets for a day,to stale up a bit.never toasted.when ready to make she took some milk and butter and and cooked on stove till butter was melted.she didn’t measure but was enough to moisten bread enough.if she needed more she would add a touch of milk.she used chopped onion and chopped celery.and sage which is what gives it the flavor, and a lil salt to your own liking.sage again is to your liking.we as kids got to taste the uncooked stuffing to let her know it had the right amount.omg was soooo good.so that’s how I make it to this day.i helped her make it for 30 or more yrs.
Thank you so much for the help, Bonnie! I love the idea of melting the butter in with the milk. I’m going to try that this year!
My grandma made a similar dressing and I have always made it the same way but it has never tasted as good as hers. It was dried pieces of white bread broken into pieces by hand. She added onions, salt, pepper, and dried savory, some melted butter and then milk to dampen. She left it sitting for a few hours before stuffing the turkey. Always made extra which was put into a casserole dish which had some turkey drippings added to it before baking.
This sounds so similar to Jeff’s grandma’s recipe, Lori! I haven’t tried dried savory yet, but I’m going to add a pinch of that this year. Each year, I get a little bit closer 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by and telling me about your grandma’s recipe!
My mom has a stuffing recipe that is to die for. It’s the only stuffing that is true Thanksgiving stuffing according to everyone in my family. Here are the ingredients for one batch, although she usually doubles or triples it depending on how many people will be there. She toasts 14 pieces of bread, dips each piece in a bowl of milk, squeezes out the excess milk, then shreds the bread. In a skillet, she combines 1/2 C butter, 1/4 C onion, 1/4 C celery and cooks over low heat for three minutes. Add 1T parsley, 1/2 t poultry seasoning, 1 t salt and 1/8 t pepper. Then mix with the shredded toast. It can be baked in a casserole dish or stuffed into the bird.
My mom said she got the recipe from her mom a zillion years ago. We are from Upper Michigan. I have made this recipe many times, too. When we eat Thanksgiving dinner with my husband’s side of the family, I am the official stuffing maker. Last year, I made a ginormous batch for my daughter’s high school Thanksgiving feast. Like you said, some pieces get more toasted than others; I love that about this recipe. I like the stuffing best that has been in the turkey. When baking it in a casserole dish, I do sometimes add a bit of broth for additional flavor.
Heather, thank you so MUCH much for sharing this recipe. It sounds so much like Mary Ellen’s! I think the poultry seasoning might be key. And yes, I feel like a little broth is necessary to add some of that chicken/turkey flavor. Thank you again! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Heather, could you share your recipe? I plan to make a batch for my daughter’s high school Thanksgiving feast next week.❤️
Hi Lori…your grandma-in-law’s recipe sounds quite like my husbands Italian family which I have finally mastered after “only” 30 years of marriage lol. The trick with this recipe is to use VERY HARD Italian bread. Soak that bread in water until almost falling apart. When the bread is still holding it’s shape in the water you take it out (some may fall apart in your hands) and put in a strainer and with your hands push down on the mush till the majority of the water is out. Looks pretty gross at this point
Next they transfer to large bowl, add salt, pepper, garlic , parsley, high quality Parmesan cheese bread crumbs and as many eggs as needed to give it the consistency of typical bread stuffing. HIs family adds thinly chopped ham, I do not know why , but it does give it a nice flavor. That’s a very old Italian recipe and I must admit it Is delicious. It does take a very long time to cook though. Good luck!
Thanks so much for all of this info, Becky. Family recipes are just the best, aren’t they? I’m loving the Parmesan bread crumbs in your family’s version. YUM!
Hi Lori! This is a dressing recipe given to me by an elderly neighbor of mine a good while back. I’ve always loved it for its comforting, old-fashioned taste that is full of turkey goodness. I hope it gives you some ideas for recreating Ms. Mary Ellen’s recipe.
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• ½ pound ground turkey (not lean)
• ½ cup finely diced celery
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ½ teaspoon sugar (sounds weird, but it rounds out the flavors)
• 2 cups bread slices cut into 1/2-inch cubes, toasted
• 2 cups pre-dried bread cubes (the pre-made packaged kind meant for stuffing)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped (optional)
• ½ cup unsalted chicken stock (to get more chicken-y flavor I boil down 1 cup of stock to ½ cup)
• 1/3 cup milk (full-fat or 2%)
• ½ cup chopped parsley
1. In a large mixing bowl, soak the 2 cups of pre-dried bread cubes in the milk. Set aside.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes more, breaking it up into tiny pieces. Add the sage, salt, pepper, and thyme and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Transfer the mixture to the large mixing bowl with the cooked vegetables/turkey. Add the remaining bread pieces, chopped eggs (if using), stock, sugar, and parsley. Blend well and check for seasoning.
4. Grease a baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and put the dressing in it. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes in the oven. Serve with the turkey.
Hi Rebeca! I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to share this with me. I’m getting ready to make my 6th attempt at Mary Ellen’s recipe, and I think this year, it’ll be the best yet, thanks to the best people like you. Silly me, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried putting any butter in the stuffing before. Um yeah, it definitely needs butter.
I also really love the idea of combining the “fresh” bread with the dried bread cubes – I’m trying that this year! I’m going to give the pinch of sugar a try, too. Why not?
I think the fact that this recipe starts with soaking bread in milk tells me that this will end up very close to Mary Ellen’s. Because that was all she EVER told us: “Oh, I just soak a little bread in some milk.”
Thank you again, Rebeca. I hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving 🙂
I’m so glad the recipe helped you in your quest! It’s an old fashioned recipe from a lovely, lovely mature lady I was fortunate to have in my life. I wish you good luck and may you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Rebeca – Wanted to come back and tell you that I made this almost word-for-word. I didn’t add the optional hard boiled eggs, and I also skipped the ground turkey just because we know Mary Ellen’s didn’t have that (although it sounds yummy to me).
I think this year is the closest I’ve ever been, thanks so much to all of the amazing commenters like you! I really liked the combo of the dried bread cubes with the fresh bread, and the pinch of sugar might have been the special ingredient! Everybody loved it, so this is my new starting point for stuffing!
Thanks again, and I hope you had a great holiday!
Yay!!!! I’m so happy y’all liked it! A pinch of sugar always does the trick! I look forward to reading about your stuffing (or dressing) adventures in the future. Happy holidays!
My mother made this stuffing and I have been looking for the recipe. It is hard to recreate- eggs? , no eggs? One thing I do know, the poultry flavor in the stuffing comes from basting the stuffing with the turkey pan juices as it cooks.. my ,others stuffing had a loaf, not a fluffy consistency nutmwas delicious.
Thanks so much for chiming in, Carla. I will take all the help I can get! Oddly, my mother-in-law insisted she did NOT ever stuff the bird with the stuffing (we still call it “stuffing,” even though it’s probably more like “dressing”). So I’m always looking for ways to add more poultry flavor without stuffing it into the turkey. haha.
Hi Lori!
Thanksgiving is my dad’s holiday. He loves the roasting of the bird and get uup hours before anyone to get started on it. His stuffing is a favorite of my childhood. We used to sneak into the kitchen (during commercial breaks of the Macy’s parade) to grab a handful when he wasn’t looking, before he could stuff it all into the tureky. My dad uses the packaged bread cubes, celery, onion, butter ( a whole stick melted) and occasionally some giblets, which I pick out of my serving. Hopefully they will get fed to the family cat this year. The rest of the recipe is a mystery, but I am determined to discover it this year. Then when it is all done and over with, this stuffing is moist enough to pat some onto to a turkey sandwich with some cranberry sauce! Mm…my mouth is watering!!
Your Dad’s stuffing sounds AMAZING, Jane! It’s funny how such a simple combination of ingredients and turn into something soooo great!
Cool post.
When I cook egg bake (which is totally different, but hang in here for a minute), I mix milk and eggs, pour over the bread, and then let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Maybe you could do the same thing here? (ie pour milk/broth, veggies over the bread and let it sit in the fridge overnight)
Mary Ellen may have used the giblets to make a turkey broth or stock which might have added flavor. I don’t think many midwesterners actually eat giblets- I never heard of eating offal until moving to the south. My suggestion is to let the onions and celery cook in butter, then add some stock, and let it reduce a bit, then add it to the other ingredients.
I definitely think all white bread, and letting it get a little stale (after tearing it up) is probably on the right track.
Thanks so much for the help, Hannah! Being able to prep the dish ahead and let it sit overnight in the fridge would actually be IDEAL for me, as I like to get most of my Thanksgiving prep out of the way before the big day. I’m fairly certain there weren’t actual giblets in the stuffing, because you’re right – most Midwesterners do NOT eat them! I’m going to make a homemade turkey stock this weekend, and use the drippings to fortify my next batch of stuffing!
Just for future info, I am 60 and I remember my mother using packaged seasoned bread stuffing mix with the little herb packet. The bread stuffing mixes came out in the late part of the 40’s and early 50’s. It was after the war and things were new and fun. Kinda of like the show Happy Days. So there you go that good old stuffing mix is what every cook from that era used. It just sucked up all the flavor because it was so tosted and dry. Remember to add the seasoning packet to your liquid of choice. It really makes a nice even flavor.
Thank you SO much for the help, Lynda! I think the fresh bread vs. dried stuffing mix could be the source of endless debate in this stuffing dilemma 🙂 Great to know that the mix would have been available when Mary Ellen started making this!
Toast white bread, break into pieces drizzle milk over bread crumbs untijust moist, cover and let sit overnight. Next day add celery and onions cooked in butter and black pepper. Drizzle with turkey broth until moist. Do n mix. Bake 350. 45 minutes
Thank you so much, Marjorie. Definitely can’t forget the black pepper. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I love these posts Lori! I’ve had the same struggle with some of my favorite family recipes. Unfortunately I have absolutely no tips. We were always Stouffers family growing up (and I actually still love it). Is it terrible for a food blogger to admit that?
You mean like, Stove Top? I totally grew up eating that, but not necessarily for Thanksgiving. We would have it on just regular ‘ol weeknights!
Hi Lori, I love you post! I don’t blame you for wanting to duplicate the dressing. Keep in mind that most older cooks didn’t use a stuffing mix or even dried bread cubes. I do remember that bakery’s used to make stuffing bread before Thanksgiving, but most just used cheap white bread. My Mom is 94 and I learned to make the dressing from her, that I still make. She grew up in Detroit and I grew up in the western suburbs. Everyone I know likes our dressing. I make it every year and if I happen to go to someone elses home for Thanksgiving, I make a turkey at home soon after, because the stuffing is never right. Yeah, I’m picky!
No recipe really because I just wing the amounts, depending on the size of the turkey. But I’ll try…. I usually make enough to stuff the turkey and have a big casserole dish.
I give you the approximate quantities..
1 loaf white bread, broken by hand the night before and left to sit in a bowl on the counter.
In a large sauce pan, melt 1 stick of butter, when melted add 2 ribs of celery (chopped) and 1 med onion (chopped). Cook until soft. Add about 1 Tbsp of sage and a tsp each of salt and pepper.
Toss this mixture with the bread and then add chicken broth (or turkey broth if you can find it) to desired moisture is reached. I like my dressing moist but not soggy. This is when you could use some milk instead of all broth if you want.
Important step… TASTE…and adjust seasonings… I usually add more sage because I like to actually taste the sage after the dressing is cooked.
That’s it… plain old fashioned bread dressing. I stuff my turkey with it and put any extra in a casserole dish. I pour a little extra broth over the dressing in the dish since it doesn’t get the juices of the turkey, cover the dish in the oven and remove the cover 10 – 15 minutes before it done. I don’t usually bake it for more than 45 – 60 minutes total.
When my whole family is here for Thanksgiving, I will mix the dressing that was cooked in the turkey and the dressing that I have cooked seperatly. Otherwise, my family would just eat the dressing that came from the turkey! Maybe you Grandma did that too!
One thing to remember, when you are trying to duplicate a recipe that is a family heirloom, only use the ingredients that were available at the time when they made it. The newer shortcut ingredients never taste the same.
Hope this helps.
.
Oh my gosh, Nancy, you have helped me SO much with this!
I figured that dried bread cubes were a newer invention, so unless Mary Ellen switched over to using them in her later years, those wouldn’t be part of the recipe. I think I made a mistake by trying to let the whole slices of bread dry out overnight, and THEN tearing them in the morning. If I tore them first, then let dry overnight, I think they would get more dried out.
I think your idea of mixing the stuffing cooked IN the turkey with the rest of the stuffing is a good idea (adding more turkey flavor). Jeff’s aunt has chimed in this afternoon to say that Mary Ellen roasted a turkey breast and added the drippings from that to the stuffing. I think I definitely need to get some real turkey flavor into this! I usually make homemade turkey stock the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I can use the pan drippings from roasting bones for that for my next attempt.
Thanks again, Nancy! Have a great Thanksgiving!
I’m going to be honest, Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday! I love seeing all the wonderful recipes people have been posting! I wish I knew what your grandma did to make her stuffing so spectacular, but I think yours looks just lovely!
Thanks Mary!
I looked through the recipes I had from my mother, and unfortunately don’t have her wonderful stuffing recipe. I know that she fried her bread cubes (she used the cheap white bread) with real onion (and probably the celery), most likely in bacon fat. Butter would work, too, but would not be as flavorful. She never put giblets in. And she never put any liquid in. That’s because she stuffed it all into the bird, and felt it would come out too mushy with extra liquid added (it did gain moisture from the bird). I would probably at least double the amount of sage and poultry seasoning, and forget the onion & garlic powder. Also stay with the white bread. The stuffing I remember still had some structure to it (i.e., it was NOT formless mush) and was quite flavorful. Hope this helps a little.
Oh wow Susan, NO liquid at all in the stuffing? Did that cause the turkey to dry out? I think you’re right on the doubling up on the herbs – there wasn’t enough sage flavor in this first attempt. Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it 🙂
Great post, Lori! Thanksgiving stuffing is close to the heart. We’re coercing my parents into cooking Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year so that I can write down every move my Dad makes. I think I love his stuffing the way you loved Mary Ellen’s. I wish I could help with suggestions, but my Dad uses the dry, herb seasoned stuffing mix as a base, which changes everything. Best of luck on your pursuit to recreate the magic!
Also, I love your wedding shoes. Very Carrie Bradshaw. 😉
Oh, what a fun memory for you and your Dad! My husband and I have a tiny house/kitchen/dining room, so even though I’m in charge of cooking, we go back and forth with my parents hosting every other year, and his parents hosting every other year. We’re both only children, so there’s just the 6 of us for the holiday, which is nice. My Dad and I have a great time cooking together!
That herb seasoned stuffing mix seems to be a leading candidate. I’m using that for attempt #2!
My wedding shoes are sort of Carrie Bradshaw-ish, if Carrie ever wore $22 shoes. Which would be never. HAHA.
I sort of make my grandma’s stuffing and I have no real recipe. I eyeball everything. But I know she used those dried out stuffing mix bread cubes and soaked them in milk, so there definitely was not excess liquid to wring out.
Attempt #2 is going to use those dried stuffing mix bread cubes, Brianne. I mean, why not at least give it a try? Thanks so much for your help!
What a wonderful write-up honey. I appreciate, so much, you trying to perfect my grandma’s stuffing. Every time you give me a failed attempt it serves as a reminder of all the wonderful, loving memories I have of holidays past when she was around. I think you truly do her cooking justice. And, I am sure, as hard as we try we won’t be able to get it 100% . . . After all, the secret ingredient is love.
Well, you’re eating Fail #1 for dinner tonight. Thanks hon 🙂
I know your wife said your Gram did not use giblets but she may have done what my Mom did. She did the same thing with the bread and she soaked it in milk. Then she lightly toasted those hand torn cubes. Meanwhile she had been boiling the giblets for about 20 minutes, took them out of the pan but kept the water. When they were cooled she had my Dad set up the grinder, which he had attached on the edge of the table using a dish town under it so it wouldn’t slip. She put the giblets, minus the neck, into the grinder and they were completely grounded into the tiniest pieces that you would never know was giblets. She put those into the bowl with the bread cubes, sauted onions, 2 Tbs. of Bell’s Poultry seasoning, and butter. She mixed it so well I never know that giblets were in there until she “fussed” up and told me the truth. Her stuffing was the best I ever tasted but mine, try as I may, never comes out the same. Now that you mentioned eggs, I do believe I remember her putting eggs into that mixture. I know she put melted butter in also. This year I will try the eggs and see if it makes a difference. Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Diane – thank you SO much for all of this info! I actually HAVE one of those meat grinders that attaches to the counter. My grandma gave it to me! It seems like kind of a pain to set up, so I’m wondering if I can just pulse the giblets in a food processor. haha. Either way, it sounds like the giblets are critical for great flavor, and I’m going to try it this year. Happy Thanksgiving!
This sounds just like my moms, and there were eggs, I too can’t get it as light, crunchy and moist as hers, I lost my mom in April, we made it together every thanksgiving .
Happy thanksgiving ? ?
Hi Linda – Sorry for the late reply, but thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.