Grandpa George’s original stuffing recipe is a hearty meal on its own. His version included using the giblets ground up as well. I Be sure to reserve the liquid from cooking the giblets for the gravy. I’ve been serving my modified recipe as a side with my turkey every Thanksgiving since I can remember. If you want a vegan version, simply omit the sausage. I make it a little different each year, but always include some sort of nuts, apples and dried fruit. Not everyone in my family likes celery, so, sometimes I leave that out and add more of the other veggies. I usually make it the night before, bake it the day of and do not stuff it in the turkey. If there’s any leftover after turkey day, I’ve got a fun breakfast recipe that’s become a new tradition at our house. I’ll share that later. Let’s mix up that stuffing like Grandpa used to make, with Grandma supervising, as she worked on everything else!

Grandpa’s Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 celery stalks (diced)

• 1 onion (diced)

• 1 package of mushrooms (diced)

• Butter or olive oil

• Turkey or chicken stock

• Apple (diced)

• 1 C dried fruits (cranberries or cherries)

• 1 C nuts (pinenuts, walnuts, or pecans) diced

• 1 1/2 C cubed bread crumbs

• Sage sausage (browned) (optional)

• Poultry seasoning to taste

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Giblets cooked and ground up (optional)

Directions:

• Brown sage flavored sausage, drain grease and set aside

• Sauce first three ingredients in large pan with a little butter or olive oil until soft and translucent

• Add turkey or chicken. stock and bring to a boil

• Combine with apples, nuts, dried fruit and breadcrumbs in a large bowl

• Place in 9X13 casserole dish and bake (uncovered) at 350 until done, stirring occasionally so it bakes evenly (45min)

Zabelicious Tip

If you have leftover stuffing, fry it up with some eggs the next morning for a hearty breakfast everyone will love!