The great Thanksgiving stuffing debate.....please read!?

Question

Here in the American Deep South, it's time again for families to nearly break up over whether the stuffing (or, dressing, if you prefer) be bread based with onions and celery and then stuffed into the turkey before roasting, OR, that peculiarity of the South, a kind of baked cornbread pudding, prepared in a separate baking dish in the oven.

The regular bread stuffing has drawbacks, including the limitation of how much you can make: it's determined by the size of the bird. Also, there are certain people who will always feel it isn't complete without the oysters in it, and those who wish all oysters destroyed and removed from the planet.

The cornbread pudding stuff has all the evil qualities of cornbread (gritty texture, and a kind of overheated plastic smell) plus the depressing side effect of bringing a hollow turkey to the table.

My family is contentious, and doing both at the same meal is unacceptable to both sides.

How does your family decide this critical issue?

Answer 1

LOL----got a couple picky eaters in your crowd?

Here's a couple options: (A) Thanksgiving gets stuffing selection 1, chosen by coin toss----you serve the other option with the Christmas/winter feast turkey.

(B) Opt for something completely different....but still Southern. How about a RICE dressing for the bird, with or without fruits/ vegetables? (MMMmmmm---sauteed onions, celery, nice plump raisins or cranberries....mushrooms are optional) Or rice and the turkey giblets (URRRRK!), supplemented by chicken livers (ACKFFHLLLFFFF).

(C) Make a rule that everyone who complains about the stuffing (whatever you end up choosing, strictly by random) has to do dishes, clean up, etc.!

(D) Don't suppose you could tell them that you're giving up Thanksgiving turkey for Lent (that ought to stun them into silence for a minute ot two), and that they're going to eat lamb or venison and LIKE it, or else? (g)

But don't let my silly prejudices get in your way.

Either the family will compromise, or they will ALL join together in cussing you out.....in which case, make them take you out to dinner at a restaurant! (g)

Oysters....why did it have to be OYSTERS?.... I do SO not want to eat anything that looks like I just suctioned it from a patient's airway, thank you very much....

We solved the matter by sticking to bread stuffing, but having lovely corn muffins/cornbread on the table.

Have a great meal!

Answer 2

We always stuffed our turkey with the spiced bread stuffing. And there was always so much stuffing that we served the extra alongside the turkey as well as scooped out of the bird! (To get around the oyster issue, my mother would separately serve a small bowl of cooked oysters.)
Cornbread was saved for other occasions in our household (but I guess Miami, Fla. doesn't really qualify as Deep South!).
It seems to be that the reasonable thing to do is to serve EVERYthing even though your family finds this unacceptable. Or go out to eat where everyone can (try to) get exactly what he/she wants OR have both sides of the family each bring a turkey, stuffed the way they like. (You may be eating turkey leftovers twice as long but at least both sides will be happy.)
And remind ALL your feuding family members that Thanksgiving is a time to come together in peace and give thanks. Sounds like some of them have forgotten this!
Good luck!

Answer 3

Oh dear- I can feel your pain. I know the feeling all too well as I have an allergy to sausage, and some folks I know consider it sacralege to leave the sausage out of the stuffing(or the stuffing out of the bird.) Cooking a turkey stuffed with sausage stuffing will actually make the entire bird unsuitable for me to eat, and those who don't understand make an issue of it. Likewise, they get offended if I bring my own turkey and stuffing- I'm stuck in the middle just as you are.
But to not have both at the table at your family?? Isn't that what compromise is about? It's perfectly doable. And it is about respect for both sides. Gently explain that to your family. And if need be, keep both stuffings out of the bird altogether. That way, no one should argue.

Answer 4

I'm a sage, onion and celery girl myself, with bread torn into pieces, a couple of handfuls of craisins or raisins, some nuts,parsley flakes, poultry dressing, salt , pepper, rosemary to taste and about four tbsp of butter or margarine. If you got a bird bigger than 15 lbs go with a loaf and a half of bread, preferably white mixed with whole wheat and just increase everything. You'll know you got it right when there's a nip on your tongue as you taste it before baking it or putting it in the bird.

Leave out the giblets or the oysters thank you.

Of if you gotta have that make an extra batch.

My friends say I make the best stuffing .....enjoy!

Answer 5

Well, my family used to make up a HUGE amount of bread stuffing (white and brown bread with onions, poultry seasoning, sage, rosemary, and majoram in it). we'd partially cook it, then stuff the turkey with as much as it would hold, then roast the turkey. we always made extra, and cooked it in a pyrex dish.
Or just bought a lot of boxes of Stove-Top stuffing...

Now, however, we buy a pre-stuffed turkey breast from M&M Meat Shop and cook that instead. they're pretty reasonably priced, and a good size (one will feed about 3 or 4 people with leftovers, or 6-8 with no leftovers) no fuss, no muss, and no worries about the stuffing issue ^_^

Answer 6

We make the regular bread stuffing, but we don't stuff it in the bird because there is the possibility that the bird won't get cooked all the way through. We cook it in a separate dish, and that way you can make as much as you want! I have never had it with oysters...

Answer 7

I go to mom's for T-day. She makes the perfect stuffing... onions celery and sausage... yum! It's perfect.

We don't put it in the bird until the bird is almost done. we also cook extra in a big pan.

I love cornbread, too, but it'd never take the place of stuffing.

Answer 8

The regular bread stuffing in a pan instead of in the turkey. We like ours brown on the edges and if put inside the turkey, it doesn't get those crispy edges!

Answer 9

(A) we're having Thanksgiving dinner, and i am the one preparing the grub in this case, my family is coming over, that's over 40 ppl, so it will be Huge! Happy Thanksgiving to you too hun!

Answer 10

If you are like some families who have turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas you can please all between the two holidays. If you don't happen to celebrate Christmas then why not on New Year's day. Good Luck!