So Many Dishes

Thursday was Thanksgiving in the US, a time where we reflect on those things for which we are grateful. Last week at this time, I was looking forward to celebrating with our family, and thankful that Ken would be able to enjoy the holiday. Last year, he was in extreme pain and could barely sit long enough to eat with the rest of us. I am so grateful that we finally got to the root of his problem and able to find successful treatment. I had a menu planned, activities with our grandchildren in mind, and was really looking forward to the entire week.

But you know that say about the best laid plans: mine went awry. A bad fall put me in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. No concussion, no broken bones, but a very sore back and the ugliest collection of bruises you never want to see. They kept me overnight, and suddenly all my plans were out the window.

I came home Wednesday afternoon, but I wasn’t in any shape to cook a complete Thanksgiving dinner. So it became a true family dinner. Our daughter in law, Annie, always is in charge of dessert, so that wasn’t an issue. Ben, our son, decided to make a Brussels sprouts dish, and he helped with the turkey. The creamed corn recipe that I use is super easy, and didn’t need to be done until close to meal time, so Ken handled that.

The big question was what to do about the stuffing. I always make the Pennsylvania Dutch version, which my family always called filling, that includes mashed potatoes in addition to bread. It’s one of those dishes where I’ve never had a recipe. I learned to make it by watching my parents, since it was usually a joint effort. My plan had been to cook the stuffing on Wednesday, since my oven won’t accommodate the turkey roaster and a casserole at the same time.

Plan B meant finding a recipe for Ken to make. Thanks to Google, I found a recipe that was “kinda, sorta” like what I make. The proportion of potato to bread was different, and there was more liquid in the new recipe, but Ken stuck pretty close to the written recipe. He added a little bit of basil, because it’s one of his favorite herbs. It’s not something you’d find in a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dish, but it worked. There were a couple of texts with questions, but by the time I came home, the stuffing was baked, cooled, and in the fridge.

On Thursday morning I felt well enough to help get the turkey ready. I made a citrus-garlic-herb butter that we rubbed under the skin. But my role was mostly advisory, although I did make the gravy while Ben carved.

Dinner turned out to be one of the best Thanksgiving meals ever. The turkey was perfectly cooked, and Ken said it was the best tasting turkey I’d ever made. The stuffing was delicious; I think this is going to be what I make going forward. We agreed that a little more poultry seasoning would have been good, but there wasn’t anything else I’d change. Best of all, we were all together, and I will never take that for granted.

I didn’t think to take pictures of our dinner, the beautiful table, or gathered family, except for dessert. But we did a reprise for dinner last night, and I got a picture of my plate, plus the leftover stuffing. It tasted just as good as it did originally!

Pennsylvania Dutch Potato and Bread Stuffing

• 3 lbs. yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups celery, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 14 slices lightly toasted white bread, cut into cubes
• 3 large eggs, beaten

Boil potatoes in a large pot until tender, about 15 minutes, and drain. Return to the pot, and mash with 4 tablespoons butter, milk, and chicken stock.

While potatoes are cooking, in a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 3/4 cup butter; add celery, onion, and parsley. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and add the bread cubes. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 4-5 minutes.

Remove from heat and fold in the mashed potato mixture and the beaten eggs; stir everything together until well combined.

Pour mixture into baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Happy eating!