Brielle's Avalon

First you start by roasting a bird. Chicken, duck, turkey, goose, game hen…whatever you’ve got handy. Roast it in your usual way. If you don’t have a usual way see my post on How to Roast a Bird. Done that? OK, now make some broth. If you need to check out my post on that, too, go ahead.

Now take some of that home-made day-old bread and cut it into cubes. OK, as good as fresh, home-made bread is, you may have to save up the stubs in the freezer and thaw them when you have enough or cut them into cubes, dry them and keep them in a container in the pantry. If you don’t have time to make home-made bread a baguette of French or loaf of Italian or whatever will do. I think we’ve already bought everything we need while we made the other stuff  leading up to this, so I don’t think I’ll have to send you on another shopping expedition. Sorry. Ready?

Take a large bowl and pile in it the cubed stale bread. leave room to mix it later. Mince and add 1 medium yellow onion. Mince and add 1 or 2 celery ribs. If you don’t have fresh celery you can use celery seed. Generously grate in pepper and sprinkle on some basil, garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!) and a little paprika.

In a Pyrex measuring bowl or another bowl heat 1 1/2 to 2 c broth and melt 1 stick of butter in it. OK, margarine if you like. That’s right, a whole stick…there’s a LOT of bread here! Add a dash…a couple dashes…OK several dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Mix briefly just before pouring over the bread in the other bowl and mix well. You want the bread to be moist but not wet or gummy. When I made this batch I only had beef broth. That’s OK, I’m serving beef tonight and have enough left for French onion soup. Whatever broth you have left over just make into soup. get creative, soup is good. Or use it to make porridge or gruel. I’m sure if you make your own gruel you’ll like it. When you cook for yourself you can make it the way you like it to match whatever else you’re having for dinner or breakfast or lunch. 

Butter 1 or 2 cake pans (depending on how much you just made) and spread the stuffing in it/them. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and check every 10-15 minutes, stirring every time so you get as much chewy, almost-crunchy bits as you can. This should be done in about 20-30 minutes, but may take more or less time in your oven depending on how you like it.

Serve with roast turkey, chicken, stuffed pork chops or whatever you’re having. Who doesn’t love stuffing?