Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: November 2022: National Stuffing Mix. Do you call Stuffing or Dressing? How about White Bread Stuffing or Cornbread Stuffing and why? When I was a child we would have both because my dad didn’t like Cornbread Stuffing and my mom didn’t care for Bread Stuffing. Which my sister and brother also prefer Cornbread Stuffing while I prefer Bread Stuffing which I never get since my parents have passed away.
National Stuffing Month
Stuffing is a must have for a lot of people in the world of Thanksgiving. Chicken and Turkey can pop up at any time of the year. When we want to dress Turkey’s and Chicken’s up, there’s no substitute for Stuffing. Stuffing comes in all shapes and sizes. There are no hard and fast rules about what constitutes Stuffing which can be Bread, any kind of Bread, Rice, Quinoa, and even Matzo. There’s only one hard and fast Stuffing rule: mix ingredients, stuff those ingredients inside a cavity of another food item, and you have a new dish which is Stuffing and delicious. That’s why, on November 21st, we celebrate National Stuffing Day!
NATIONAL STUFFING DAY ACTIVITIES
- Invite family to come for a Stuffing tasting party. Not only can others pre-test their Stuffing, but also a whole group of people can benefit from Stuffing! Who ever argued with getting to try lots of Stuffing varieties? One of your friends might have your next great holiday recipe.
- There’s a whole world of Stuffing recipes out there. Yet, we only tend to make Stuffing for the holidays. Today’s the day to stray away from that boring Turkey Stuffing and try other varieties. If anyone in your family turns up their noses, tell them you made it all for yourself and you’re not sharing!
- Go back into vintage Julia-Child-Land and watch her make Stuffing. Go to your favorite food blogger’s page and see what he or she has kicking in the Stuffing department! There’s no shortage of places to look for Stuffing recipes. Get onto that internet and go crazy.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL STUFFING DAY
- With Thanksgiving just around the corner, today is the day to perfect your Stuffing recipe. Making a traditional Apple and Onion stuffing? Use today to hone your ratios of Caramelized Onions to tart Apples to Thyme. If you’re hosting a holiday for the first time, test that Stuffing recipe before it’s too late.
- Do you want a simple formula for making Stuffing? Here it is: Start with a grain, add liquid and/or fat, Spices and Herbs and something with flavor and texture. For example, start with cooked Rice, add Chicken Stock, Season with Thyme, Garlic, Marjoram, Salt and Pepper and add dried Cherries and Cranberries with a sprinkling of Chopped Walnuts. Stuff the whole mixture into Pork Chops and you have Stuffed Pork Chops! If your more of a traditionalist? Start with cubed stale Bread, add Turkey Stock and melted Butter. Throw in Rosemary and Parsley, cube Apples for texture. Mix together and stuff the entire mixture into your favorite member of the Fowl family. Roast and relax until dinner is ready!
- With the holidays on the way, you’re going to need serious refrigerator space. Stuffing is a great way to use up some of the leftovers taking up valuable refrigerator real estate. Take those Croutons left over from last week’s Salad, a little Butter, those sad looking Celery Stalks and half an Onion and mix it together using a little hot Water and stuff them into those Red Peppers that are going to go bad if you don’t use them soon. Pop the whole the whole thing into a Casserole Dish with a little Olive Oil on top and bake in a hot oven. No one will ever guess that last night’s leftovers have become tonight’s dinner.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
