Secret Family Stuffing Recipe

Simple and delicious.  That is pretty much the only way to describe my Mother-in-law's famed stuffing recipe.  With only five ingredients (give or take), it has very basic flavors that meld perfectly into the epitome of holiday warmth and comfort.

Baaaaaaasically it is the best stuffing I've ever had.  (With the exception of my sister's mushroom walnut version, but they're on two different ends of the stuffing spectrum.)

And it's a rather simple recipe!  The only thing is that it isn't quite an exact science...  Eh, I'll show you.

Okay so you start out by chopping a head of celery and two large sweet onions.  Throw them in a skillet and add enough water to just cover them.  Simmer on medium low (covered).

Once the vegetables have become somewhat translucent and most of the water has evaporated, add one (or two, if you're making a big batch) stick of butter.  Please note that 'fat free' was not in the description of this recipe.  But it's for the holidays, so just enjoy!

Let the butter melt.  In the mean time, tear up some bread into bite sized pieces and place in a humongous bowl.  The original recipe calls for two loafs of the giant, king sized bread.  For this version, I used about two small loaves of grain bread from my bread maker.  The recipe will work with any amount of bread, you will simply have to melt more butter.  However if you prefer a stuffing loaded with veggies, (as I do) then opt for the smaller homemade loaves, or one loaf of store bought. Whichever floats your boat.

Whoops, almost forgot the carrots!  I shredded one large carrot.  This is optional, but it adds great color and a delightful sweetness.  Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt and a half tsp of pepper.  Let cool.

Pour the vegetable mixture over the bread and squish together with clean hands.  If you find that your stuffing isn't very moist, melt another stick of butter and add it.  I don't soak mine through, and so usually 1 1/2 sticks will suffice for enough stuffing to feed 8.  Add about two palm-fulls of fresh chopped parsley.

Mix together and stuff into your vessel of choice.  I fill the turkey and then have a casserole dish leftover (some people don't like the stuffing from the turkey anyway).  Bake the casserole dish at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until cooked to desired consistency.  I actually prefer my stuffing to have a little bit of crunch on top, but different strokes for different folks.

This recipe might not seem like the most concrete thing in the world, but not only is it a great dish to customize, it's also pretty hard to mess up.  I guarantee that you'll love it!