Best Nanas Thanksgiving Dressing Recipes

NANA'S THANKSGIVING DRESSING

Steps:

• Cook turkey giblets while preparing vegetables - Save broth - strip meat off turkey neck and save for dressing.
• In deep pan fry sausage and ground beef, use 12 cube butter with meat. Fry until no longer pink.
• Add a few of the diced vegetables, about a cup at a time. Stir and cook, add more butter and vegetables gradually. Also, add spices as you add vegetables. Don't use table salt as the pork has salt in it.
• As vegetables cook down (test carrots for doneness) pour broth and croutons alternately into mixture, keep stirring all the while. The croutons will make the mixture thick, be sure and don't get it soupy. (if you do, add more croutons) add meat from stripped turkey neck.
• May be served like this or put in baking dish and bake about 1 hour at 350*.

NANA'S THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS PAN DRESSING

Steps:

• First, prepare your cornbread which is the base of this dish:.
• Heat oven to 450°F; grease 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch square pan.
• Put it in the oven to heat. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into greased pan, scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• Set prepared cornbread aside to cool. When cool, remove from pan and in a large 4 quart mixing bowl, cube into 1 inch cubes or you can just crumble it with your hand (which is what Nana would do).
• Carefully de-bone the chicken and shred/chunk. You want to end up with at least 3 cups of chicken. More is fine too.
• Finely chop celery and small chunk the onion. In a heavy bottom skillet, combine drippings or cooking fat and 4 TB of stock . Add onions and saute on medium heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan often until onions are beginning to become clear but not yet limp (about 3-4 minutes). Add more broth at any time you feel you need it- to prevent burning. Add celery and cook about 3 minutes longer until celery is crisp tender and onion is clear and limp and perhaps beginning to caramelize. Remove from heat, stir in all seasonings and set mixture aside for now.
• Grease (or spray with nonstick) your disposable pans. You can use glass and line with foil too. Set aside.
• Combine the cubed or crumbled cornbread and cut/shredded chicken in the same big 4 qt or larger bowl. Add reserved celery and onion mixture.
• In a small bowl, beat the 6 eggs until frothy. Then, add to cornbread, shredded chicken,and cooked celery mixture. Stir minimally. Add 6-8 cups of chicken stock 1 cup at a time until the texture is still bready yet pourable. Take your time because the cornbread will absorb liquid over the course of a few minutes. If you overdo the liquid, add some of your torn whole wheat bread. Nana says: "You want it more moist than dry, ok?" Don't mix until you've let it sit for a few minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• After allowing the cornbread to set for 2 minutes, mix to combine, but don't over-handle.
• Pour (if you can't pour you need more liquid)into your greased and disposable or foil lined glass dishes and bake for 45 minutes or until set and browned on top. If edges are done to a couple of inches in, then the center is probably done enough too.

NANA'S GIBLET GRAVY

Steps:

• If you have a pressure cooker, use it to cook the whole gizzards and giblets (reserve the livers for now) on high pressure for about 7 minutes in your reserved broth except for the 1/2 cup cooled reserved broth. Use your quick release (or bring pressure down naturally). If you don't have a pressure cooker, simmer the gizzards and giblets (reserve the livers for now) whole in just enough of reserved broth to cover in a pot with a tightly fitting lid for 1 hour. Drain and add whole gizzards and giblets to a large saucepan, add livers and broth and on medium low heat cook COVERED for about 10 more minutes. Remove meat and set aside to cool. When cool, chop finely and mix all meat parts together. Reserve all broth.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan with lid, bring 4 eggs and enough water to cover to boil. As soon as you notice a boil, turn off heat and cover but leave the pot on the burner. Set a timer for 12 minutes. During that time, get a small bowl of ice water ready. When 15 minutes is up, strain and rinse eggs under cool water. Immerse in ice bath until completely cool. Peel eggs, beginning with a crack on the wide end. Chop eggs and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a small pan, melt 2 TB of butter and saute chopped onion until limp and clear about 5-7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottom skillet with no heat, whisk together sherry (or white wine),1/2 cup cooled broth, Wondra flour, drippings, thyme, salt and pepper(s) sauteed onion and microwave roasted garlic (or powder). Turn heat on medium low, stirring frequently until thickened.
• Measure reserved broth. You should have about 4-5 cups of broth left. If not, add more water or canned broth till you get 5 cups. Very Very slowly, pour a small stream of broth into your flour mixture and whisk like crazy until all broth has been incorporated. I whisk in the shape of a figure eight in the pan to get the best effect. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened to a consistency that is slightly more runny than gravy about 4 more minutes.
• Ladle over served portions of Nana's Thanksgiving and Christmas Pan Dressing and oh, be sure and wear the pants that have some room to grow ::-o.

NANA'S TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• The night before, lay out the bread slices to dry.
• Cut dried bread into cubes.
• In a large frying pan, brown loose sausage with onions and celery.
• Add apricots and seasonings.
• Pour sausage mixture into large bowl with bread and combine.
• Stuff turkey or place in casserole and moisten with chicken broth.
• If using casserole, place in oven with turkey for about the last hour.
• Moisten further with turkey drippings as necessary.

CLASSIC THANKSGIVING DRESSING WITH PARSLEY, SAGE AND THYME

Steps:

• Spread bread cubes in a single layer on two large sheet pans and let dry for a few hours or overnight. Adjust oven racks to lower- and upper-middle positions. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake bread until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; saute until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix bread, vegetables and remaining ingredients. Turn into a greased 3-quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake until steamy, 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until crusty, 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.