Uncle Bills Turkey Dressing Recipes

Steps:

• Turkey must be thoroughly thawed before preparing for the oven unless you are using a fresh turkey.
• Remove turkey parts from cavities and use as you desire.
• Wash cavities well with cold water.
• Boil a kettle of hot water (scalding hot.).
• Place turkey in a clean sink or a large roasting pan.
• Pour hot water over the entire turkey including in the cavities.
• The skin will shrink tightly to the turkey.
• "This will help hold the natural juices in the turkey while it is cooking. Do not peel skin back to layer herbs under the skin. This will destroy the process for a moist turkey.
• "Pat dry both inside and outside of turkey.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Sprinkle cavities with salt and black pepper and granulated garlic powder.
• If you are stuffing the bird, then line inside of cavity with cheesecloth, then stuff with your favorite dressing,"stuff loosely",.
• Tie legs and wings with a good meat wrapping twine and leave a lifting loop to remove the turkey from the pan when cooked.
• Place a wire rack in the bottom of roasting pan.
• Place the turkey on the wire rack, breast side up.
• Pour 2 cups of water or 2 cups of chicken broth into the pan.
• Pour about 1/2 cup or more if required of extra virgin olive oil over the exterior of the turkey.
• Cover the turkey with heavy aluminum foil, but do not let the foil touch the turkey as it will stick to the turkey while cooking.
• Pinch foil tight to the sides of the pan.
• Place turkey on lower rack in oven and cook for 1 hour.
• Reduce heat to 325 F and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
• Now turn heat up to 350 F and cook for another 1/2 hour.
• Remove foil from turkey. At this time test for doneness by inserting an instant read thermometer into the breast to see how the cooking temperature is. We are cooking towards a reading of 175°F.
• Baste,the turkey and continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 1 hour at 350 F, basting about every 15 minutes so that the turkey turns a nice brown color.
• When the time for cooking is finished, test for doneness. Insert the instant read thermometer into the thickest portion of the turkey breast, reading should be 175 F and no more. .
• Remove from oven, lift turkey out the roasting pan using the string loops.
• Cover with foil and let the turkey rest for about 1/2 hour before carving.
• Total time for cooking a 16 pound stuffed turkey is 5 hours.
• There is no need to baste the turkey until the last 1 hour of cooking, this saves you a lot of time as you do not have to remove the foil tent during the first 4 hours.
• For a crispy browner skin, you may wish to consider rubbing butter over the entire bird after pouring olive oil. This works very nicely.
• COOKING TIMES: Left Side -Stuffed---- Right Side - Unstuffed.
• *12-14lbs.
• 4 - 4 1/2 hours-- 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 hours.
• *14-16lbs.
• 4 1/2 - 5 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 hours.
• *16-18lbs.
• 5- 5 1/2 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 hours.
• *18-20lbs.
• 5 1/2 - 6 hours-- 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 hours.
• *20-22lbs.
• 6 - 6 1/4 hours-- 4 1/2 - 5 hours.
• *22-24lbs.
• 6 1/4- 6 1/2 hours-- 5 - 5 1/4 hours.
• NOTE: Test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, reading should be 175 F and in the thickest part of the leg or thigh, reading should be 180°F.

Steps:

• Spoon shortening into an 8-inch cast-iron skillet.
• Place in a 425* oven for 4 minutes or until hot.
• Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl; add 2 eggs and buttermilk, stirring well.
• Spoon into hot skillet, and bake at 425* for 25-35 minutes or until browned.
• Cool; crumble cornbread into a large bowl.
• Add bread cubes and remaining ingredients, stirring well.
• Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish, and bake at 325* for 1 hour or until golden brown.
• Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Steps:

• Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan. Add onions. Cook over medium heat until onions are quite soft and tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions and butter to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Melt another 6 tablespoons butter in the same frying pan. Add apple. Cook over medium heat, until lightly colored but not mushy. Transfer apples and butter to mixing bowl with onions.
• Crumble sausage into frying pan. Cook over medium heat, until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to mixing bowl. Reserve fat. Add remaining ingredients, except eggs and stock, to mixing bowl. Mix well. Add eggs. Mix. Add enough stock to bowl to make a moist, but not runny, mixture. Add fat to stuffing if desired. Stuff a 20-lb. turkey. If cooking dressing separately from turkey, pour fat over dressing in casserole. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through.

Steps:

• Purchase an 8 ounce sliced loaf of day old bread, such as homemade, sour dough or Italian bread.
• Cut into 1/2" cubes and place on cookie sheets to dry for at least 1 day or dry in a 250 F oven for about 30 minutes.
• I prefer to buy bread rather than purchasing bread cubes or bread crumbs.
• In a large frying pan, add butter or margarine, onions, green and red peppers, celery and saute' for about 10 minutes; DO NOT BROWN.
• Add chicken soup base and stir well.
• Saute' for 5 minutes longer on medium-high heat.
• In a large mixing bowl, add beaten eggs and milk and mix well.
• Add dried bread cubes and mix well to coat.
• Add mushrooms and mix again.
• In a small bowl, mix together poultry seasoning, ginger, salt, parsley, dill weed, granulated garlic powder, black pepper and mix well to combine.
• Sprinkle mixture over dressing and mix well.
• Add crushed soda crackers and mix well.
• Dressing should be only slightly moist when squeezed and should just hold together.
• If dressing is still too moist, add more crushed cracker crumbs until the desired texture is achieved.
• Adjust spices to taste.
• You may wish to add some dried sage if desired.
• Line the cavity with cheese cloth leaving enough cloth so that it protrudes outside the cavity. Stuff dressing loosely, DO NOT PRESS TIGHTLY, as it will not cook properly.
• You can also wrap the dressing in double aluminum foil and bake in the oven along with your turkey or separately at 400 F for about 1 1/2 hours.
• When the turkey is cooked, pull out the cheese cloth with the dressing. Leaves the cavity clean and you do not need to dig the dressing out.
• NOTE: I prefer to cook the dressing in double aluminum foil in the oven.

Steps:

• Cube bread into small cubes.
• Core, peel, and cut apples.
• Saute onions, celery, apples, cranberries, and spices in broth (add more broth or water if needed).
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix with bread chunks.
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
• Keep covered but check for drying.
• Add more water/broth if it dries out.

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together except 1/2 stick of butter and add enough meat stock to keep juicy.
• Stir often.
• Bake at least 2 1/2 hours in 350 degree oven.
• Top with other 1/2 melted oleo when nearly done.

Steps:

• Carefully cut out the stem portion of the peppers.
• Remove seeds and membranes carefully and discard.
• Place peppers (stand upright) in a large saucepan.
• Add 1/2 cup water, cover and bring to boil and parboil for 5 minutes.
• Drain well; set aside covered.
• In a medium saucepan, add rice and chicken broth and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
• In a large frying pan, add olive oil, ground beef and chopped onion and saute' until mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped celery, sliced mushrooms, grated carrots, garlic powder, Italian herb seasoning mix, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes including liquid, cooked rice, dill weed; mix well and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Carefully stuff peppers with mixture.
• Place stuffed peppers (standing up) in a deep, oven-proof casserole dish.
• Spoon any remaining mixture over peppers.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix together ketchup and water.
• Pour this sauce equally over the stuffing in each pepper.
• Cover casserole dish with a lid or tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove lid or foil, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top of the stuffed peppers.
• Continue to bake uncovered at 350 F for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Serve hot.
• You may use a combination of red, orange, yellow or green peppers for a colorful presentation and a variety of taste.