Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Here's My Mom's Stuffing Recipe

For those who don't know, it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.

Growing up, early October was always a time when we planned to be together as a family.

For me, heading to my mom and dad's house with the kids was a wonderful weekend: Time with my brothers and their families, as well as a great time with mom and dad.

Since mom and dad are both passed on now (I still can't believe I'm typing that!) I miss and treasure those memories to the core of my being.

I must say, I'm looking forward to dinner tomorrow with the kids. Unfortunately, it won't be with all the kids, as I have seven (4 sons, 2 stepsons, and a stepdaughter). I only use the word "Step" to respect their mom. My stepkids have been a part of my life for 40 years - I consider them my kids, but I hold back on that declaration out of respect for their mom. Being a mom myself, I understand that 'feeling.' - the feeling of being 'the mom.'

Anyway, I digress!

So in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to share my mother's turkey stuffing recipe. It has long since been my recipe; I just made it today for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

My Mother's Turkey Stuffing Recipe:

Ingredients for My Mom's Stuffing Recipe:

• Celery
• Onion
• Stuffing Bread OR
• Regular Bread Cut-Up with Spices
• Spices if adding on your own: Sage, Poultry Seasoning,
• Sausage (I use breakfast sausage)
• 3 Tablespoons of Rice (Basically a handful)

How to Prepare Mom's Stuffing:

1) In a bowl, add cut the bread up into chewable cubes (sometimes you can get stuffing bread already cut up)

2) If you don't have cut-up stuffing bread and need to make your own stuffing bread, here's what to do:

• In a large mixing bowl, cut bread (any bread that is your favorite, although heavier bread is better) into cubes
• Add Sage - be liberal with the Sage - I add about two or so tablespoons, depending on how big the turkey is and how much stuffing there is
• Add Poultry Seasoning - probably about 2 tablespoons

3) Fry the sausage separately - I buy breakfast sausage - and, after cooked, cut the breakfast sausage into bite-sized pieces

4) In a Frying Pan, in Butter:

• Fry one chopped onion
• Add one entire stock of celery (chopped into bite-sized pieces)

5) Add the celery/onion fried mixture and the cut-up sausages to the bread/sage/poultry seasoning bread mixture

6) Add the rice to the bread mixture

Mix it all together until it sticks together nicely. 

It should look 'wet' and be compacted together.

By the way, what's the secret ingredient to stuffing that makes it stuffing - it's the Sage! But that's been a flavor I've been used to my entire life when it comes to stuffing!

If you've never added Sage, give it a try - by the way, that's ground sage! You can find it in the spice aisle of your local grocer.

NOTE:

I prepare this the night before, put it in a ziplock bag, keep it in the fridge, then stuff the turkey in the morning <---- Mom taught me that trick too.

My number three son, Joshua, loves this recipe as much as I do, and that alone makes me so happy! Thank you, Joshie, for being a kindred stuffing lover!

Happy Thanksgiving to all - These times haven't been easy, so it's essential to live in the moment and enjoy spending time with the ones you love.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON:

Canadians and Thanksgiving, The Time is Now!

This coming weekend while our friends south of the Border will be still dreaming about Turkey and all the fixings, Canadians will be in Full Turkey Mode!
It's time to get out the fancy glasses, a nice tablecloth, napkins, china and all the things we save for a "special day". For my family, it doesn't get more special than Thanksgiving. We like to celebrate and we like to do it up right!
Canadian Thanksgiving has had it's day celebrated at many different times of the Calendar year.  It was only in 1957 that Canadian passed a law that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Until that time, Canadians had sometimes celebrated the holiday and sometimes did not.  In the late 1850's it was celebrated in June following the end of one of the many battles of Upper and Lower Canada.  At that time Thanksgiving was only celebrated 6 times in a 15 year period.

In 1872 it was celebrated in April when the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was returned to health, from a very serious illness.

So you see in Canada, we don't have the same attachment to Thanksgiving that our American cousins have.  Ours is still a very "young" holiday.
It doesn't mean that we don't do it up right, though. Most families will go that extra mile to make Thanksgiving dinner something to remember.
The important word is "Holiday", who doesn't enjoy those.  Added to the holiday is good food and family get togethers and you have a "holiday" that everyone enjoys.

Just to make it even more special, we will have all the fixings, Turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash soup, or a vegetable, some green salads and dessert of course.

Just to make everything perfect, a beautiful table and all the things needed to make dinner wonderful, joyful and thankful. While it's early for a lot of people to be thinking about Thanksgiving, just know that up north, we will be dining on Turkey and feeling very, very stuffed! Happy Thanksgiving to all, whenever you celebrate.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

FOLLOW US ON: