Thanksgiving Simple Dressing

Every family has "their" Thanksgiving dressing that they declare is the best. Well, my friends, this one is my little family contribution and for us, it's the best. It's savory and simple and goes with pretty much any poultry.

Whatcha Need:

1 lb. package Stuffing Mix (I like Pepperidge Farms)
1/2 loaf bread slices; toasted and torn into small pieces
3 large stalks of celery; diced roughly
1 medium onion; diced roughly
3/4 of an 8oz package white button mushrooms; chopped roughly
4.25 can chopped black olives
4 T. butter; torn into small pieces
1/2 T. salt
1/2 T. black pepper
1/2 T. sage
6 C. chicken broth (I mix 6 C. water with 6 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 egg

First, we get to chopping. I do the celery first because I really like the smell of celery. Yum.


Next, we chop the onion into small pieces. I would call this a rough dice. I used a medium sized onion here but you could use half of one of the big honking ones if that's what you have.


Now chop up about 3/4 of a package of mushrooms. I'd say into about 1/2 inch pieces.


Now add your torn up bread pieces to your mixing bowl.


Atop that, add your bag of dressing mix. The dryness of dressing mix plus the soft bread gives the dressing a better texture.



Now toss all your veggies (celery, olives, mushroom, and onion) on top of that mound.


Now you can add your seasonings. Go for about 1/2 Tablespoon each of salt, black pepper, and sage. Don't get too heavy handed on the salt because you are using seasoning bread crumbs, olives, and chicken stock that will balance your salt levels in the dish.


Here is the chicken broth I made. I just combined 6 C. of water with 6 bouillon cubes. Make sure to let it cool a bit before using it.


Start ladling your stock into the dressing about a cup at a time until it gets a loosely firm texture to it. You want it to jiggle when shook, but you do NOT want it to slosh at all. After this step, go ahead and taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings as your see fit. After you're satisfied, add in one egg and 4 T. of butter to bind the mixture together.


Put it into a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!