My Mom's Traditional Bread Stuffing

We usually eat turkey twice a year in my family - Thanksgiving and Christmas, of course. 

Well, here in Canada we've already celebrated our thanksgiving (in October), and my mom has informed me that she won't be making a turkey for Christmas this year. WHAT??? She said that she wants to try stuffing chicken breasts instead since they'll cook faster. The turkey always takes the longest and we end up eating really late because of it. But phew, for a second I thought she wasn't going to give us stuffing. She will, it'll just be inside the chicken instead of the turkey.

My mom has always made the same stuffing and I love it. Lots of sage in there. I guess the flavour is a bit strong for some people, but not for me. Bring it on! One thing about my mom is that she prefers to use dried herbs, but you could always use fresh if you like. She also uses water, but I would say chicken stock would be even better!

You may need to make more or less depending on the size of your bird. This amount will stuff a 15-20lb turkey. I think that's what we usually get. Below are some pictures from Thanksgiving.

And don't forget to eat your veggies, too!

I like the part of the stuffing that's sticking out of the turkey. It gets nice and crispy.

My Mom's Traditional Bread Stuffing
Makes 8-10 Side Servings

Ingredients

• 10 slices white bread
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon dried sage (or more)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• salt
• pepper
• water or chicken stock

Directions

1. You can let your bread dry out for a few days before the big event, or toast it on 300F oven for 15-20 minutes until its dry, but you don't need to get it too brown. Definitely try not to burn it! Once dry/toasted, break it into bite size pieces and set aside.
2. Over medium heat, fry the celery and onions in butter for about 8 minutes or until softened. Stir in all the spices and cook for another minute. Now, stir in the bread.
3. A little at a time, start adding the water or stock. You want it to come together, but not to be really gloopy because it'll continue to absorb liquid once it's in the bird in the oven. Allow your stuffing to cool completely before stuffing your turkey. You can also place the stuffing in a casserole dish and cook it on the side for 20-30 minutes. But you'll need to add more liquid or it may be too dry.