Thanksgiving Recipe: Two-Bread Stuffin Muffins

Two-Bread Stuffin' Muffins

Before beginning this recipe, make the cornbread yourself. If you don't know how, go to Food Network or any other source and find the simplest plain cornbread recipe you can that contains at least 2-4 tablespoons of sugar. You may do this a day or two ahead of time, but beware cornbread snatchers. Take your portion and hide it before letting the rest of the family know. Better yet, prepare the bread mixture in advance as directed below in step 3.

9 bacon strips, diced (use scissors and cut them up to bite-sized or less)

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup onion

6 slices of bread, toasted and cubed (bread heels are very economical)

3 cups coarse corn bread crumbs

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

2-3 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Prepare your muffin tins by spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Set bacon aside to drain. Sauté celery and onion in drippings until tender. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, toss bread, parsley, sage, thyme and rosemary. (You may do this in advance to discourage the cornbread snatchers if they're particularly a problem in your home. Store in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag until needed.)

4. Turn on the oven to 350°F. Add celery, onion and bacon to bread mixture. Add eggs and broth, mixing gently until all is moistened.

5. Spoon into muffin tins, filling no more than halfway full. Do not overfill. A large ice cream scoop is very helpful here to aid in removal.

6. Bake at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes or until heated through and just beginning to brown around the edges of the tins.

Hint: You may add to this recipe with ease. Suggested extra ingredients might be 3 peeled, cored, and diced apples, mushrooms, golden raisins, cranberries, and cooked crumbled pork sausage.

By using muffin tins, everyone gets more of the crunchy part, even portions to discourage dressing hogs, and less chance of salmonella poisoning. It's not a perfect solution. There will always be those who prefer to take the salmonella risk and stuff the bird. No thanks. I'll stuff the bird with onions, celery, and apples instead to give it flavor, then toss those out.

.

__,_._,___