Thanksgiving Stuffing, Stuffin' Muffin Style

Alright. I have to fill you in on my biggest cooking confusion. Why is it that some dishes that people absolutely love are only served on special days?

Honeybaked Ham is delicious all year, why do most of us only serve it on our Christmas table?

And matzo crackers only on Passover. Seriously? Move over saltines, those crackers are bomb.

But the one that really REALLY boggles my mind is Thanksgiving stuffing.

Everyone just raves about stuffing. For many a Thanksgiving patron, it is their favorite part.

To be honest, until this Thanksgiving, I had never really tasted stuffing. I don’t know why, but in my former non-foodie life the idea of the side dish just wasn’t that appealing to me. But now that I made it myself and know what’s in it, I realize I was a moron.

Stuffing is delicious. And so easy to make. We need to band together and decide that it is totally kosher to make stuffing all year round.

More stuffing I say!

And of course I can’t just make stuffing. I need to make stuffin’ muffins.

You will need…

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 stick butter, softened

1 fresh bay leaf, available in produce department

4 ribs celery and greens, from the heart, chopped

1 medium to large yellow skinned onion, chopped

3 honeycrisp apples, quartered and chopped

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons poultry seasoning

8 cups cubed stuffing mix (or 8 cups of cubed bread)

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

Start by preheating oven to 375 degrees F.

 Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to skillet and 4 tablespoons butter.

When butter melts, add bay leaf and mushrooms.

Cook the mushrooms until they start releasing some liquid.

Add in the celery and cook for about 5 more minutes.

When the celery has been cooking for 3 minutes, add in the onions.

Cook for an additional 3 minutes and add in the apples.

Sprinkle the vegetables and apples with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. 

Cook 5 to 6 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables and apples then add the stuffing cubes to the pan and combine.

Moisten the stuffing with chicken broth until all of the bread is soft but not wet.

 Butter 12 muffin cups, 2 tins, liberally with remaining butter.

Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to fill and mound up the stuffing in muffin tins.

Remove the bay leaf as you scoop the stuffing when you come upon it.

Bake until set and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove stuffin' muffins to a platter and serve hot or room temperature.

Stuffing all year round my friends. All.Year.Round.

Love and Beer Floats
Angela