Thanksgiving stuffing (or dressing if you don’t put it in the turkey) has always been my favorite part of the meal.  Actually, my family could be known as stuffing fanatics.

Stuffing is a very personal thing, with loads of recipes out there for it.  You can find light and airy versions or dense and firm versions.  My family likes stuffing that’s classic and traditional.  No sausage and oyster, dried fruit and nut, wild mushrooms, or even bacon or sausage need apply.  Think old-fashioned.  And we prefer ours without chunks of onion or celery in it.

I grew up loving my mom’s stuffing.  She always stuffed the bird with it, and her stuffing was firm and could be cut into slices.  It was flavorful and the crispy crunchy ends were my favorite (and still are).

Throughout the years, and by watching lots of Food Network, I’ve taken bits and pieces of other recipes and made my own version of my Mama’s stuffing.  My stuffing is made with onions, homemade chicken broth, boxed stuffing mix, canned soups, butter, crackers, cornbread and bread.  Sometimes simple really is the best.

I buy the big bags of dried bread cubes sold by the deli department of any grocery store.  If you want to use fresh bread, cut the bread into 1″ cubes.  Lay the bread on trays and let them dry out over the next day or two. The bread needs to be dry. Stir them once or twice a day so all of the bread dries out evenly.  You could also do this with your cornbread, though I never do.

I mix my stuffing in my Grandmothers enamel pan.  It’s a very large pan and I fill it nearly to the top for this stuffing loving family.

Once everything is mixed you’re ready to either stuff the bird or bake the stuffing in a casserole dish.  I never realized how big of a debate it was whether to stuff the bird or not, since that’s all I’ve ever know.  Do what you like.  I personally like it stuffed in the bird, but we always make enough to also do a pan of stuffing balls as well.

I hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe as much as my family does!