Stuffing?

There are two kinds of bread crumbs - dry and finely crumbed or loose which is essentially bread cubes.  Bread stuffing is usually made with bread cubes. 

How did I live in the US for 27 years without hearing of bread cube stuffing?!?!

How did I live in the US for 27 years without hearing of bread cube stuffing?!?!

You've never had Stove Top?

You've never had Stove Top?

Nope.

I've made the bread cube type stuffing in the UK and never had complaints.  I make a sausage/celery/sage stuffing that is soooooo good.  It's my Mom's stuffing.  My FIL makes the best stuffing for Christmas using breadcrumbs and ham and is lemony.  That's nice too.  Make what you want, it's your holiday.

i have ALWAYS made the same stuffing: sage, breadcubes, onions, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, chicken stock. 

but the sausage idea appeals to me.  what ratio of bread to sausage?  and do you take the sausage meat out of the casings? 

I've made the bread cube type stuffing in the UK and never had complaints.  I make a sausage/celery/sage stuffing that is soooooo good.  It's my Mom's stuffing.  My FIL makes the best stuffing for Christmas using breadcrumbs and ham and is lemony.  That's nice too.  Make what you want, it's your holiday.

Thanks! 

Would you mind posting your recipe, it sounds really nice?  Maybe I'll throw some sausage in just to shut him up! 

A recipe?  Hmmm. Well I buy that tube of sausagemeat that you can sometimes only find in the freezer sections, and I chop about a loaf and a half of bread into cubes and bake them till they're hard.  Then I fry the sausage meat and a chopped onion and chopped celery in butter till it's all cooked. And I add the sage, and some thyme and sometimes rosemary( and then I usually sing because I have Scarborough Fair in my head).  And THEN and this is the hard part I add the breadcrumbs-this usually takes more than one container and lots of mixing and tossing and breadcrumbs everywhere.  And I pour chicken stock over it so it's all lovely and moist and mushy.  And then I stuff some in the Turkey's neck and I wrap the rest in two sections of tin foil and I throw one in the oven and I keep one for the next day.  And then I sit down and eat some myself because it smells SOOO good. 

eta: I add the herbs while I'm frying everything, but take it off the stove to add the breadcrumbs and the stock.

I didn't think there was any other way to make stuffing than with bread cubes. 

I use the tube of sausage meat too but I don't cook it before putting in the bird.  I've never ever had any problems and it's soo yummm.

This is perfect for a 12 lb bird.

1 tube sausage meat
1 egg
herbs (sage, poultry seasoning, savory, rosemary - and I am usually singing by this time as well)
celery and onions chopped very finely (I do it in the food processor)
mush it all together and then add bread crumbs until the right consistency.  I think it's about 2 cups.
stuff in the bird.  Yum. 

For Bread stuffing:

I cook the onions and celery first and a few mushrooms.  Then I throw it in with the bread cubes (around 6 cups i think, maybe more) and same herbs as above.  I'll add some milk or chicken stock to make it moist enough but not too moist and then stuff in the bird. 

Mushrooms make it nice and moist but only a few.  Too many and it's overpowering.  You can also add pecans, walnuts, or whatever really.  I find that you have to cook the celery and onions first though. 

I cook the sausage because we just tend to eat it right away.   And I think the singing must be the key to a good stufffing recipe.

And I think the singing must be the key to a good stufffing recipe.

Absolutely!!!

i've never looked for the sausage meet here in the UK- can you find it in the freezer section? 

i've never looked for the sausage meet here in the UK- can you find it in the freezer section? 

You can buy this sort of tube of sausage meat-if it's not in the fresh next to the sausages, it'll be in the freezer next to the frozen sausages.  I tend to buy frozen just because I like to buy ahead.  You can also probably get different types of sausage meat at your local butchers if you have one.

I make a sausage bread and one or two other recipes that call for sausage meat - I usually just buy pork sausages and cut them out of the casings.  Just an option if you can't find the sausage meat.

I'm another sausage stuffing gal.  I like to use the Silver Palate recipe - with dried cherries, chopped nuts and sherry. It is yummy.