Welcome to the Foodie Friday before Thanksgiving. It’s unfathomable that Thanksgiving is next week. The year is certainly flying by, and we are in the throes of the holiday season. As we move through life, we accumulate friends, family, and, if we’re lucky, friends who become family. Over time, we gather little snippets of wisdom, experience, life lessons, memories, traditions, and often, recipes. My poor old, torn, and time-worn Tinkerbell folder, where I keep my recipes, has seen better days. I keep thinking that I need to write down all my favorite recipes on actual recipe cards and keep them in an old-fashioned recipe box or put my collection of recipes in a personal cookbook for my little bean. This is something I wish I had from my grandmothers and my mom. Perhaps this will be one of my goals for 2024.
As I have moved through life, I have picked up a variety of traditions from close friends. My dear friend from elementary school had a tradition of placing a silver dollar underneath each dinner plate on New Year’s Day while they ate pork and sauerkraut, believing this would bring good luck and prosperity for the upcoming new year. The Schmidt twins shared their tradition of singing a hilarious version of The Bear Went Over The Mountain immediately after singing Happy Birthday. As a family, we opened our gifts one at a time on Christmas morning so we could all enjoy the receiver’s reaction to the present. We also open our stockings after all the gifts have been opened.
As with traditions, I have collected various recipes from those who have come into my life at different stages. Church Window cookies are a recipe I have from an ex-boyfriend’s British mother. I have Christmas cookie recipes from both of my grandmothers. I continue to make various dishes from recipes my sister, who is a good cook, collected over the years. Of course, I also have recipes my mom made while I was growing up. Now, I also include recipes from Grambarb, who is a phenomenal cook. However, I also have recipes from friends and other family members that have become part of the fabric for our holiday meals.
In our house, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Eric’s brother-in-law, Keith’s Sausage Stuffing. Keith shared this recipe during one of our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and it has been part of our Thanksgiving dinner table ever since. Today, I will share this delicious recipe with you.
Keith’s Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 package cubed stuffing mix
1 shallot or ½ a small onion
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 small can of mushrooms
1 can of chicken broth
1 lb. of loose sausage
2 stalks of celery
Poultry seasoning
Directions:
Prepare the stuffing as directed on the package. Brown the sausage and cook the onions and mushrooms with the sausage. Mix the prepared stuffing, sausage, onion, and mushrooms. Slice the celery and add to the stuffing. Dice the apples and add them last so they don’t turn brown. Add the apples to the mixture. Sprinkle the poultry seasoning to taste and mix thoroughly. Add the chicken broth and mix thoroughly. Place in a prepared baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
On this last Foodie Friday before Thanksgiving, stay safe, be smart, gather traditions as well as friends and family, enjoy delicious food because life is short, and keep washing your hands.