Thanksgiving Stuffing - HELP!!

Ok need an experienced mom here.  So I went shopping for my first Thanksgiving that I will be cooking Thursday - EVER.  What an experience!!  What is the deal with the stuffing here and since when do you add water to stuffing?    My mom always brought this dry stuffing that looked like croutons, put in her chicken broth, celery, onions, peacans, dried cranberries, and butter (I think) along with the usual seasonings,  put in a throw-away tinfoil pan (which by the way I cannot find here) and stick it in the oven and bake it.  Never did she add water!!

So I brought this stuff that looks nothing like stuffing but breadcrumbs to me  [smiley=stunned.gif] [smiley=stunned.gif].  Then I got this awesome brainwave   while at Waitrose.  Why not use soup croutons for my stuffing??  [smiley=sunny.gif] [smiley=sunny.gif]  It's bread right?  Should work, right?  So I brought 20 packages (there little mini-packages for a one person soup).  It should work right?  

Oh and the other thing I need but can't find so far are miniuature marshmellows for my sweet potatoes.  Anyone know where I can find them.  Waitrose said they "usually carry them" I just love when they say that and Marks and Spencers didn't see any.  Figure I would try to find out if they carry them at Sainsbury before I make Glen drive me there.

You should be able to find mini-marshmallows in any supermarket.  But they'll be witht the cake mixes/choc chips/baking ingredients.  

Croutons should work-I don't see why they wouldn't.  For the past fourteen years I have bought two loaves of thick cut sliced bread, cut it into cubes, and toasted it in the oven.  Time consuming, but it works.  

Ahh, leave it up to Mindy!!  Thanks.  The bread idea sounds great too.  The croutons are quite small and I'm afraid that they may end up being smoosh like the breadcrumbs they call stuffing here.

You can use any toasted or few day old bread (like a french loaf not that super stay fresh for ten years stuff) to make the stuffing and the only reason to add water is if you have the premade stuff like Stove Top or that funky sage breadcrumb type stuff they have there (as you mentioned...no offense but NOt my fav stuff).    It's assuming they have already put in the bouillion. Definately use chicken broth or the stock made from the Turkey neck and giblets.  

I always like to check out http://www.epicurious.com for recipes as they are rated .... also http://www.foodtv.com

Can't help on where to find the marshmellows..though I saw Martha Stewart make them from scratch once.....

Best of luck on your first Turkey-a-thon!  

Yvonne...you slay me...you are so cute! I can just see you buying up all the little crouton packs. But, I have to say, once reading this, I did go to my cupboard and found a box of salad croutons I'd got from the States...hmmm...gives me an idea! Thank you!

As for the time to add water, here's what I do:
Boil x amount (depending on how many bread cubes) and add butter, celery and onions, cooking until the veg are tender. Toss in crumbs and a raw egg. Mix well. Now you're ready to stuff the turkey with it and/or bake it on its own in oven.

Aaah Lisa glad I make someone laugh   .  I still don't know why I need to add water to my stuffing.    Isn't chicken consume ok?  I mean isn't that's what going to give it more flavor than the water??  I don't know.    I never made a Thanksgiving meal before.  Just copying my mother's receipe.

Oh yeah the other thing, do they have disposable foil pans here?  I've never seen them here.  But to be perfectly fair to Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, and the food stores of London/UK nor did I ever really have the need for one until now.  My mother uses them all the time for Thanksgiving and Christmas preparation of meals and cooking.   Once done, put on serving plates for presentation and throw the disposable puppies out.  Easy clean up is what I like.

Wilkinson's carries a decent selection of foil pans, loaf and pie (altho the pie ones are a bit shallow for my taste). Wilkies is great as well, cause they have the cheapest paper plates (a luxury here) I've found.

As for the water vs. consomme (stock cubes)- most definitely use it instead of water. It will help make it more 'poultry tasting'. Luckily I still have some poultry seasoning from the states (haven't found it here nor looked for a clone recipe), and that always helps. As for bread, in this house, its usually cornbread stuffing- but in saying that, it is a mixture of cornbread and ends, etc. of bread that I start freezing a month or so before I need it.

If ya have any further queries, that I've been doing this for almost 30 years....geez, that makes me sound old, huh? lol

And my birthday is coming up next month..ugh Oh well.....so what, I'm chronologically challenged and gonna enjoy this T'giving feast especially well this year...got 20-25 coming on Saturday!

Baking pumpkin cheesecake and pecan pies now

Sherry
(who leaves with a grumbling stomach... )

gonna enjoy this T'giving feast especially well this year...got 20-25 coming on Saturday!

Holy cow! You're a brave woman.

Luckily I still have some poultry seasoning from the states

In a panic phone call to my Mom about thirteen years ago, we worked out that poultry seasoning is mainly  Sage with Thyme and Rosemary.  So that's what I've always used.  I might look for a clone recipe, it'd be interesting to know if I was getting it right all these years.  

I always use stock instead of water-just don't think you'd get the flavour.  

Oh man, how embarassed am I?  LOL! Of course I use stock...um, put a cube in the water. I was thinking your water question was more to do with it being a liquid, rather than type of liquid. Consume would work juuuuuust fine.  

Mindy you got it right.  Except according to the McCormick site they also add nutmeg.

Which probably a good thing for those of us that use apples or other fruit in our stuffing.

Here's the list of what's in the McCormick brand of Poultry Seasoning:
THYME, SAGE, MARJORAM, ROSEMARY, BLACK PEPPER, AND NUTMEG

Oh thanks peeps.    I seem to remember adding Marjoram the first couple of years, but I've gradually modified it to my own tastes I think.  Just  the smell of sage makes me think of my mom's stuffing.  
I make mine by cooking onions and celery then adding the sausagemeat.  Then I start adding the 'erbs .  Then I dump in all my carefully toasted breadcrumbs (I don't have the space or the patience to let them harder up over two days ).  Then a beaten egg and the stock.  And probably some more herbs.  Then I try not to eat it all.  

Oh my this is fun!!  Glen is out with his boss while I's slaving over the kitche for the stuff I'm trying to make called stuffing!!  It's just me and my wine.

Ok now should I cuisnart all the onions, celery and stuff, fry the sausage, chop my peacans, throw in the chicken consume and prepare it now or do it tomorrow?  

Also couldn't fine chicken broth/consume ANYWHERE!!  Don't these people know we need our chicken broth for our stuffing  .  So instead I have three options and this is all for the "experience mom's here"

1. Found soup that says Chicken Broth (by Baxters) ingredients are water, carrots, rice, potatoes, onions, swede (whatever that is), peas, chicken, leeks, sleery, chicken stock (there you go it's only the 11 ingredient in this can), salt, chicken flavoring, black pepper, parsley...blah, blah...  I thought if I buy four cans of this stuff just use the broth that should be sufficient??  No? Yes?

2. These Knorr chicken stock cubes.  But how much do I put in?  Doesn't say.  Just says place a cube in a jug and add 450 ml of boiling water.  (I have 16 cups of dried, toast and croutons already cut up and diced)

3. of Knorr Chicken concentrated Bouillon the same goes with this how much of this stuff do I actually put in the mix?

Oh I'm sooo confused.

And the last question is: there is not enough room in my fridge to store it overnight.  You think if I cover it really good and leave it outside on the patio it will be ok?  It's cold enough now right?

I always make mine the night before, pretty much as you are describing. That way, all I have to do is put it in the oven the last 30 minutes.  I think we are due a bit of a frost down here in the south...so you are probably alright to leave it on the patio....

Oh and thanks for the poultry seasoning mixture!


*Oxo makes a great chicken cube  

It should say on the package how much knorr cube/concentrate to use.  Put the wine down and have a look.    I use OXO cubes (chicken) and I use about three cubes to a pint and a half of boiling water.  I always make it on the day-less time to munch it.  BUT if you're having dinner at lunch time-make it tonight. If you're eating at dinner time-make it tomorrow.