Thanksgiving in the Blink of An Eye

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! I appreciate this holiday because I can reflect on all I’m grateful for.

I’ve been enjoying taking part in my Thankful Challenge posts. I look forward to sharing them with you all every day this month. Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Thanksgiving Memory

My favorite Thanksgiving memory is reminiscing about when I first learned how to drive at 15. Before having dinner with my relatives at my paternal grandmother’s house, my dad, friend, and I went to our old elementary school down the road and practiced driving around the parking lot. I also practiced perpendicular parking and reversing. When we were about to head back to my grandma’s house, my dad’s car battery died while we were still in the parking lot. We called AAA Hawai’i for a tow truck. As we waited, I remember the sunset being so beautiful. It was nice to be still and calm on a busy day full of cooking.

Vegetarian Stuffing

Every year, I look forward to making my vegetarian stuffing. Before discovering this recipe from the mother of one of my ex-boyfriends, stuffing wasn’t my favorite. However, that changed after trying her dish.

My ex’s mom’s stuffing was loose and had a dry and crunchy texture and mouthfeel, unlike the typical moist mouthfeel of stuffing I’ve eaten. It was delicious. It was her mother’s recipe. Additionally, I’m thankful that she happily shared it with me. Over the years, I’ve made it my own.

Recipe & Kitchen Equipment

Yields: 10 servings

• 20 ounce packets of organic stuffing mix or breadcrumbs
• 2 cups organic onions
• 2 cups small dice organic celery
• 2 cups small dice organic carrots
• 1 cup chopped organic olives
• 1 cup organic raisins
• 1 cup organic dried cranberries
• Hot purified water or organic vegetable broth, as needed
• Organic extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• Kosher salt and organic black pepper, to taste
  
• Measuring bowls, cups, and spoons
• Mixing bowls/cups/spoons for mise en place ingredients
• Cutting board
• Chef knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Saucepot
• Wooden spoon
• Baking pan
• Ladle
• Can opener
• Oven mitts

Cooking Instructions

1. Sanitize kitchen (sink, countertops, stovetop/oven, cupboard handles, phone, computer).
2. Wash vegetables.
3. Peel carrots
4. Dice vegetables.
5. Mise en place ingredients.
6. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
7. Add olive oil to a saucepot.
8. Sauté onions, carrots, and celery (aka mirepoix) until tender.
9. Season mirepoix with salt and pepper.
10. Heat either water or vegetable broth on the stove.
11. Bring to a boil.
12. Add stuffing mix to a 9×13” pan.
13. Combine all ingredients.
14. Slowly pour hot water or hot vegetable broth into the stuffing and mix. **The more liquid added to the stuffing, the mouthfeel will be chewy and moist. Add less liquid if you prefer your stuffing to be crunchy and loose.
15. Place pan in the oven for 30 minutes.
16. Serve immediately.

Quick History on Stuffing

Here are seven interesting facts about stuffing:

1. Stuffing is also known as filling or dressing.
2. The stuffing mixture retains moisture and serves to improve and absorb flavors.
3. About 50% of Americans fill their turkeys with stuffing.
4. National Stuffing Day is on 21st November.
5. Cornbread stuffing is favored in the South, while white bread stuffing is typical in most other parts of America.
6. The origins of stuffing stem back to the Roman Empire, where the ancient cookbook Apicius de re Coquinaria had recipes that included stuffed chicken, rabbit, and pork.
7. Stove Top introduced its famous boxed stuffing in 1972.
8. There is no evidence to support that stuffing was served on the first Thanksgiving.

Happy cooking,

FS x

References

Goo Roo Blog (2022). Stuffing: The history of a Thanksgiving staple. Retrieved from: https://www.gooroo.com/blog/stuffing/

Mobile-Cuisine (2018). Stuffing fun facts. Retrieved from: https://mobile-cuisine.com/did-you-know/stuffing-fun-facts/