Sage and Onion Dressing, Oven Version 2 pound recipe crusty white bread, diced (recipe below) 1-1/4 cups salad oil Vegetables (diced, then sauteed) 2 cups diced carrots 2 cups diced celery 2 medium onions Seasonings 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 2 teaspoons powdered chicken bouillon (or 2 small cubes, smashed) NOTE: for vegan use vegetable bouillon 1½ teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons sage (can use fresh from garden, or dry, or combo) 2 teaspoons rosemary (again, can use fresh or dry) 2 teaspoons marjoram 4 tablespoons parsley flakes ½ teaspoon black pepper 3 cups stock (for regular recipe use poultry stock; for vegan use vegetable) Bread: Make a 2 pound loaf of chewy white bread. It is dairy free and vegan, and is just fabulous in this recipe. Be sure to make it at least 3 full days ahead and let it air dry on the counter in a paper bag. When preparing the dressing, slice the bread and then dice it. It should cut easily and cleanly with a chef's knife. Vegetables: Saute the vegetables 12-15 minutes before adding. If making a regular (non- vegan, non-dairy-free) recipe, use olive oil and butter. If making a dairy- free recipe use bacon fat. If making a vegan recipe use a mix of olive oil, canola oil, and a little sesame oil. Dice the bread into a large bowl. Chop the vegetables and start them sauteeing. While they are in the pan, collect the seasonings into a small bowl, mixing to distribute evenly. When the vegetables are ready, add them and the seasonings to the bowl and mix very thoroughly. Then add oil and mix again. Finally, add the stock a little at a time, mixing until the whole recipe is evenly moistened each time. The stuffing must be moist but not really wet. It's OK if you don't use all the stock. Remove to baking pan, cover, and bake 60 to 90 minutes at 350°F. recipe as it used to be prior to 4/7/08 edits: Sage and Onion Dressing for Turkey 1-1/2 lb. bread cubes (2# for an 18# bird or larger) 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 2/3 cup salad oil 2 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon (2 small cubes, smashed) 3/4 cup chopped celery (3 sticks celery for 18# or larger) 2/3 cup chopped carrots (3 medium carrots for 18# or larger) 2/3 cup chopped onion (1½ medium onions for 18# or larger) 1 teaspoon garlic powder (1½ teaspoon for 18#) 1 tablespoon sage (2 tablespoon for 18#) 1 teaspoon marjoram (2 teaspoon for 18#) 3 tablespoon parsley flakes (4T for 18#) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (eyeballed anyway, a bit more) 1 teaspoon rosemary (2 teaspoon for 18#) 3 cups turkey (or chicken) stock (about 1½ cans, do last, do only to moist, don't saturate) Saute the vegetables 12-15 minutes before adding. If the dressing will be baked entirely outside the bird, use bacon drippings or other flavorful oils for sauteeing the vegetables, or perhaps some olive oil mixed with some real butter. More oil should be used if the dressing will be baked entirely alone, to add moisture and flavor. Notes: a 20# bird requires at most 12 cups of dressing. The bread used should be a nice chewy sourdough or maybe peasant loaf, sliced into cubes that are small enough to combine with the celery and onion and allow for thorough mixing. Leftover stuffing can be put in a pan, moistened with a little stock, covered, and put in the oven the last 45-60 minutes. It should not be allowed to dry out. At serving it should be thoroughly mixed with the stuffing from the bird - this will add additional texture and makes for a fabulous traditional stuffing. NOTE: In 2003 at Thanksgiving I made the 18# size of this recipe and just put it all in the big yellow Pyrex bowl and made sure it was moist and put tin foil over it and baked it in a 350° oven for an hour. It made real good standalone dressing that can go well with anything. NOTE: In 2005 at Thanksgiving I sauteed the vegetables in bacon drippings and made the dressing from a loaf of our regular bread recipe but made entirely with white flour. I let the bread cool for at least 3 hours, then sliced it horizontally and cut up each slice into small squares using the kitchen shears. It went quickly. I put the whole batch in the white bowl from the 6 quart crock pot, again with foil, and baked it at 350 for an hour. Best yet. Using bacon fat is like cheating, but hopefully Karen doesn't read my recipes! :-) NOTE: A deeply frozen 21# bird, pulled on Saturday evening from big freezer to refrigerator, was not yet thawed on Tuesday night. To roast a bird on Wednesday it should be pulled from the freezer to the refrigerator on Friday night. Frozen turkey thawing time table Weight Time in refrigerator Time in cold water 4 to 12 lbs. 3 days 2 to 6 hours 12 to 16 lbs. 4 days 6 to 8 hours 16 to 20 lbs. 5 days 8 to 10 hours 21 to 24 lbs. 6 days 10 to 12 hours Brined Turkey (enough for 14-16 lb. turkey) 1 gallon water 3/4 cup kosher salt 1 cup brown sugar 6 pieces lemon zest, each about ½x3" 2 4-6" rosemary tops 2 Reynolds turkey-size plastic oven bags 1 thawed 14-16# turkey (neck & giblets reserved for gravy) Combine water, salt and sugar; stir until dissolved. Stir in zest and rosemary, set aside. Place an oven bag inside the second one, then put the bag into a roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey. Fold back the top of the bag to hold it open. Put the thawed turkey into the bag and hold it upright. Turn up the collar of the bag and add enough brine to come halfway up the bird. Close the first bag with a twist tie, then close the second. Set the turkey on its back and refrigerate. (Be sure the refrigerator is not overcrowded and maintains a temp of 40° or lower.) Brine the bird 12 to 24 hours, turning 3-4 times. Drain well before preparing the turkey for the oven. Crusty White Bread This is a vegan bread recipe, also dairy-free. 1-3/8 to 1-1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 4 cups bread flour 1/4 cup wheat gluten 2 teaspoons yeast Set the bread machine on its French bread setting and 2 lb. setting and medium crust setting. For sage and onion dressing, bake it at least 72 hours ahead and let it sit on the counter in a paper bag. Two days ahead works, but not nearly as well as 3.