I kid you not! (Also read this as “I know, I know….we all think we make the best dressing.) This is my family’s recipe from mom’s side of the family, back in NC!

Now then, let’s get started, shall we? I watched Meme, that’s mom’s mom, make this and then I watched Mom make it and the following is my slightly altered version of theirs. Of course, mine is the best! And by the way, do you call it dressing if it’s a side dish and not stuffed into the cavity of the turkey? I think that is the proper name for it and I’d love to know about your family recipes similar to this one. We can all share stories and dishes, right? After all, it’s time to give thanks, share the love and the food. So here goes:

Sausage Dressing featuring celery, onions and mushrooms

Ingredients-

1 pound of your favorite breakfast sausage

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup or one medium onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms (any type you like)

4-6 slices of day old french bread, broken or cubed and toasted

2-3 chunks of day or two old cornbread, crumbled

12 oz. bag of Herb Seasoned stuffing

At least 16 oz. of turkey or chicken broth, with more to add if needed

1 or 2 eggs, beaten

Salt, pepper, garlic and herb seasonings (like thyme, parsley, chives and rosemary or sage) to taste

Procedures –

Brown crumbled sausage until cooked and browned; remove from the pan and if there’s too much fat in the pan for your liking, drain and then add a small bit of olive oil back to the same pan and sautee the onions, celery and mushrooms. Add back in the sausage and combine then take off the heat. Next, in a large bowl, combine all dry bread crumbs, then add the sausage/veggie mixture. Next add turkey or chicken broth and eggs and stir until all is nicely combined. Then add desired spices and herbs. I tend to add some additional turkey broth at this time along with some store-bought chicken broth so that all of the bowl is moistened but not floating in liquid. This is the hard part! We want lots of moisture, but we want the consistency to be just right and this is hard to explain, as I struggle here, with how to describe it. (I’ll add pictures soon.)

Pour the ingredients into a large, buttered casserole dish, usually a 9×13 inch one. If you are still worried like me, about the moisture content, add pats of butter or splashes of broth. Then pop it into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Serve with your turkey and sides! Add gravy if desired. That’s another blog. Enjoy!