I think I’ve been hanging around with Canadians too long, cause my first inclination in starting this post was to apologize for being sick and not having recipe content last week. And then I realized, hey–I put out some great content last week anyway. Plus you got two recipes the week before. So I think you guys should suck it up. 😉
That’s what happens when you mix American and Canadian… you get apologetic sarcasm.
Just kidding. I’m grateful that you guys read me. I’d be more grateful if you ensure that you follow me on every social media outlet known to man and hack your friends Facebook accounts so that you can make them follow my page too, but I’ll take what I can get. At the very least, you should comment from time to time, and let me know I’m not just talking to myself.
STILL… if anybody comes to me about not having a recipe every week… well. Sooory (suck it up).
The jury seems to be in, and everyone likes sassy Anne. The one thing I can say about #NaBloPoMo is that it’s kept me so busy that I haven’t put my stuff through three censor filter scans as normal. I just sort of unplug and word-vomit all over, and I’ve had a few people tell me that they’re really enjoying it now that I am being me. Like, the sort of me that I am when we hang out in person and I have a glass of wine.
But the funny thing is in some ways I’m censoring myself more, and on the fly. I’ve stopped using BLUNTmoms as my wordy-dird outlet, but I’ve pulled out the other stops too, AND decided to own them, where before I usually posted anonymously. If you don’t believe me, go check out my most wildly successful post anywhere: 9 of The Grossest Pregnancy Secrets No One Talks About, which has almost 16,000 views already in about 3 days.
Women apparently want to talk about gross stuff, and if that’s not an argument for gender equality, I don’t know what is.
But Anne, you’re probably asking me, what the Sam Heck does this have to do with Apple Bacon Turkey Stuffing? The answer is NOTHING! Sometimes I just feel like going on tangents, okay? It’s stuffing! It’s not really that interesting to write about, even if it is appley bacony delicious and way more interesting than regular stuffing, which is actually really, really horribly dull now that I think about it.
American Thanksgiving day could use some innovation, for serious. I might have to go a little cray and play, the way I did when I overhauled sweet potato pie, and made it chocolate.
But this stuffing is actually a good start. I got this recipe from the Ontario Apple Growers, when they sent me the prize that I won in a Twitter party way back in the summer… one of those little coring/slicing tools (handy). But someone was also kind enough to stuff the envelope full of recipe cards. It’s almost like they knew I liked to cook or something.
Anyway, it’s a keeper recipe. It’s yummy, and mixes it up enough to keep things interesting without being scary/experimental enough to bring grandma’s wrath down on you, as when I made my friend Magnolia’s chocolate turkey gravy (though later she decided she liked it, but still said it was weird and nontraditional). I did flip things around a little bit in the couple times I’ve made this… I prefer real chestnuts to water chestnuts, cut back on the celery, used beefy portobello mushrooms for texture, and red onion for pretty color.
And if you really want to blow people’s minds… add just a wee bit of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar (like 1T of each, mixed vinaigrette style), when you’re stirring everything together. Just a bit. It’ll give you some crazy umami action. Totally optional.
- 1/2 lb (about 8 slices) double smoked bacon, cooked to crisp and diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 1 large portobello mushroom cap, diced
- 4 tart apples, cored and cubed
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 cups coarsely chopped roasted chestnuts
- 8 cups cubed stale bread
- 2 cups chicken broth
- In large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until browned. Drain bacon and set aside.
- Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and celery, and saute until celery is tender and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
- While onion and celery are cooking, chop the cooled bacon and add it to a large bowl.
- Add mushrooms and apples to the skillet and saute briefly for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Begin to preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the contents of the skillet to the bowl with the bacon, and add thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped chestnuts and cubed bread until well combined. Drizzle in broth, stirring, until well moistened.
- Grease a 13x9 inch pan, and spoon the mixed stuffing into it. Tent with foil and bake in oven for about 40 minutes, till heated through, then remove foil and bake another 15 minutes if you wish to brown the stuffing.
Jessica @ Just a Mum? says
That looks… very, very good. My MIL’s coming for Christmas. Is it okay if I make this and claim I made it up? 😉
Food Retro says
Absolutely 😉
Christine says
Girl, your posts make me LOL every time. And apple/bacon stuffing – yes please!