Family Classic For Summer

 Family recipes and a fresh harvest always make for a delicious meal. This is true for tomatoes provencale. They're made a variety of ways from oven baked to skillet cooked. Anyway they're made , they're just plain tasty, full of so many flavors melded together.

Skillet made ones are a family recipes and one of the first recipes I learned how to make.It;s one of the best ways to use ripe, sliced tomatoes.

I used sliced beefsteaks from the local farmer;'s market. You can use any size but one or two of these slices constitute a whole meal.

Saute them in about three to four tablespoons of light olive oil and a big dollop of butter or in my case I Can't Believe It;s Not Butter. .It;s then topping them with a thick layer of breadcrumbs mixed with oregano.

I used Acme's Signature brand. They're light and produce a good crisp when cooked. You can make your own using steak=le Italian or French bread , pulverized with oregano and rosemary if you want.

Put the butter between the slice before  you add the breadcrumbs.Again I love a thick topping but if you want a thin layer, then sprinkle on a thin layer

Cover the skillet and cook down until the tomatoes look wilted and the breadcrumbs looked soaked with the tomato  juices. This takes about around ten minutes.

I know it; gilding the lily but I had mine with a large hunk of Italian bread.

Tomatoes Provencale are good on their own (especially the breadcrumbs left in the pan) however you can serve with with any meat or fish too for a heartier meal. use smaller tomatoes like the vine ripes if you plan on doing this.

It's tomato harvest time. Make this delicious recipe to enjoy the fruit;'s sweet taste. It;s the perfect summer time meal.

Throw Anything Together

 There are days when you can;t go to the grocery and get everything you want. What to do when meal time rolls around? Use what you can to create a tasty meal.

In those times it;s good to rely on a semi stocked pantry  fridge or freezer. Beans can be used hot or cold in a variety of dishes.add them in a tomato sauce with garlic and chili powder and you have a quick chili. Any leftover onions can be chopped and add to it. A tasty hot dish is beans and rice,This makes for a good side or even a main course.In warmer weather a bean salad is always a nice side for a lunch or dinner. You could even make a cold beans and rice salad for a barbecue when the weather warms up. Serve it on toast for a British take.It makes for a quick lunch especially on a busy weekend. Another staple rice can be blended with anything. If you have leftover rotisserie chicken shred it and cook it with some butter and rosemary for a satisfying dinner. To jazz it up a bit add some saffron if you have it. If not try any spice from garam masala to adobo for more flavor. RIce can also be used to stuff peppers if you have them. Mix it with such chopped vegetables as cherry tomatoes, corm and even chickpeas.

Leftover are always great  for repurposing. Those left over burger patties can be broken up and stuffed into peppers or onions. mix them with breadcrumbs - which everyone has. Another ground beef dish -  leftover meat loaf can be sliced and made into hot sandwiches just by putting the slices on bread and then covered in gravy . If there's no gravy  you could use  barbecue sauce on it. Any leftover fowl can be mixed with noodles for a hardy dinner. Take turkey or chicken and chop. Add cooked egg noodles , mix and bake. Those slices of cheese? Shred them and use those as a topping.Can dessert be done this way? Yes!Mix in cereal with your ice cream for a fun twist. Add syrup for a sundae. Surprisingly melted ice cream can be used for milk in a cake. It will have a denser crumb than the average cake and a much more flavorful taste. It doesn't have to be vanilla, You could try chocolate .butter pecan or anything Dust with confectioners sugar if you have it.If you have milk then make a glaze to drizzle over it.

Ingredients can be put together to make a tasty and interesting meal or dessert. See what you have. Be creative . It'll make for a fun cook or bake.

A Juicy Cauliflower Steak

 Cauliflower is versatile.One of the best recipes for it is cutting into steaks. This makes not only for a good vegan meal but also a tasty one too.

I was inspired by an episode of Chris Kimball'sMilk  Street. His recipe called for peppers and capers mixed together with cheese. I used Lidl's Italiamo bruschetta mixed with Violife's shredded vegan Parmesan and breadcrumbs. I liked this mix better 

I added just a pinch of the VIolete and a pinch or two of breadcrumbs

As for the cauliflower it has to be soaked in salt water for fifteen minutes

It was them sliced into one in ch steaks (Milk street suggested one and a half inches but the inch work). The it was brushing them with olive oil.After deasoning they were put imto q 500 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes The bruschetta was then layered on and let sit in an turned off oven (which cooks just as well as a lit

one)

This was the most flavorful dish I've made so far.

I loved it .The bruschetta was mot overcooked and it just leaned a tangy , fresh flavor to the cauliflower - which is good raw or cooked./

It's a lovely , fulfilling meal that I will be making for Easter too. There is something about the marriage of different flavors that makes this dish simg. My version was really delicious.

Cauliflower steaks topped with a bruschetta mix is an excellent meal choice. The blend of tomatoes, cheese, and peppers with cauliflower is a unique taste. Try it for a one of a kind dinner.

A Summer Veggie Treat Zucchini Boats

 Zucchini is one of those versatile summer vegatables.It can be cut into coins and sauted in oil and garlic. It can even be put into breads, cakes and muffins. The best way of having it is in stuffed boats. These are just delicious with a simple stuffing. Best of all they're relatively easy to make

Zucchini boats can have any stuffing you want. I chose just a simple one of breadcrumbs, oil, scooped out zucchini flesh and cherry tomatoes.Melt plant butter is slathered on the zucchini to make the stuffing stiick. It also gives the boats more flavor.

It's then slicing them in half lengthwise and scopping out the flesh witha melon baller. Save the flesh.

Keep in mind zucchini flesh is really solid and and at times tough. Yet a melon baller is your best bet in hollowing it out

It's then chopped into little pieces and adding  chopped grape tomatoes to them.

Mix these with  about a quarter of a cup of  olive oil and a cup of bread crumbs.

Then it was time for the seasoning. I used oregano and garlic powder but you can use anything, from coriander to cumin or even chili powder for some zing and flavor.

Mux all thix together in a large bowl.The  veggies should be moist from the oil and nicely coated with crumbs.

Unfortunately these were too big for my air fryer so they were cut in half.

Cook first for 360 degrees F for four minutes. Check on them, The zucchini flesh should be a green white halfway through.

Cook for four more minutes at the same temperature 360 degrees Farenheit. The skins should be a bright vibrant green and the breadcrumbs a nice golden brown.

These tasted so good. The tomatoes and zucchini worked well together , especially with the spices. I loved these and plan on making it again , maybe with vegan pepperoni or bacon.They're also good as appetizers for barbecues and pool parties too.

Zucchini boats are a treat during this squash season. Jump aboard and enjoy them. They're a great dinner or even party appetizer.

Air Fryer Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

 One of the best comfort foods is a stuffed pepper. It makes for a perfect meal - a tasty mix of proteins, grains and veggies. Yet making a few of them for dinner can be a bit too much if you use the oven. That's when the air fryer comes in.

A friend gave me autumn peppers from her lush Princeton garden. 

They were perfect for stuffing and I knew the easiest way to cook them . Their tops were cut off and minced to be added to the stuffing. They were easy to core too.

I used the recipe from Air Fryer Fanatic's blog.. I tweaked it a bit and made it vegetarian - with the addition of Morningstar Farms crumbles. These were sauteed with minced onion and garlic.  with about two good glugs of olive oil.

                      I used the entire package because I wanted to use the filling as a leftover dish  for tomorrow.

 The original recipe called for sage and Italian seasonings. I preferred dried parsley and rosemary for the ultimate flavor.

As for the tomato sauce, I added a cup and a half  a half cup more than required but again, I wanted extra.

I used Stop & Shop's brand .

This was simmered for about fifteen minutes. It was then cooking the rice. I made three cups of it.

It was time to stuff the peppers.

The filling should have been mixed but i decided to layer them. It was a base of  two to three tablespoons of rice followed by two to three tablespoons of the sauce. 

The recipes calls for cheese or breadcrumbs.I opted for the breadcrumbs with a dollop of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter to get the topping nice and crispy.

Set your air fryer at 360 degrees Farenheit for five minutes. Check on them during this interval.

Then lower the heat to 350 degrees Farenheit and cook for another seven to eight minutes until the topping is browned.

                                                     This is the green pepper. the topping is perfectly crisped.

                                                          This is the red pepper dug into.

I was never a big stuffed pepper fan but these turned out good. I loved the crunchy topping and the still fresh taste of the peppers. The sauce and rice was good and I liked them combined on their own. The mix will make a nice Sunday lunch tomorrow.

This is the time for comfort food. Make these air fryer stuffed peppers for a cozy meal on a nippy day. The flavor alone will warm you to your heart.

Potato Croquettes - Celebrating Mardi Gras

 Today is Mardi Gras, a different one from years past. We can still celebrate  - at home with fun foods. For me it's potato puffs or  croquettes. I used last week's homemade mash potatoes to make a family favorite.

My recipe is a hybrid of two , one from Airfry Guide and the other from Fork To Spoon. Fork To Spoon suggests first rolling the croquettes in flour then egg and breadcrumbs. I nixed the first and just had the vegan egg mix Vegg and regular breadcrumbs. I used about two tablespoons of the egg mix and a cup of water to get it to the desired yolk thickness.  The recipe calls for a cup of breadcrumbs. As for the potatoes , use anywhere from two to three cups (I used the last because the croquettes are popular in my house)

It was a quick dunk, then roll in these.   They look like cauliflower florets.

 They were fried for five minutes at 400 degrees F in the air fryer. 

They were then taken out  flipped and air fried for five minutes more at 400 degrees F.

  These were a tasty bite, with a crunchy exterior and a tender interior. I added some parsley and salt to the breadcrumbs for more flavor.

                                   The whole batch was around sixteen croquettes but they were quickly gobbled up. That's how good they are. You can vary the recipe by adding ham or cheese in the middle. Add a dash of garlic or onion powder to the bread crumbs along with oregano.

This is a fun Mardi gras dish. It's a lots of messy work but worth it. Celebrate any event with homemade potato croquettes.

A Good Old Fashioned Sunday Meal

Is it still possible to carry on with traditional cooking during these times. Yes. You can put a relatively traditional Sunday dinner on the table. It does take planning and smart shopping yet worth it. Nothing is as calming as a proper meal together.

It may be hard to get some main course meats, thanks to meat  processing plants being rife with Coronavirus breakouts .Many poultry plants have closed throughout the US and production is down twenty-five percent throughout all plants that even process beef and pork. Now the best bet is to do what our grandparents and great-grandparents did  - buy locally sourced meat at local farms. If you're wondering where to go , visit the website Eatwild.com and click on your state. The site will give you the names and directions of farms near you where you can get the main course for your Sunday meal. If the farms are too far away, there is always the vegan alternative. Gardein has excellent turkey cutlets that taste like the real thing. The plus comes with a sage infused gravy that's heated and poured over the cutlets later.Beyond Meat has a kind of chopped meat called Beyond Beef that could be fashioned into a Beef Wellington. Add a mushroom gravy to it for extra flavor. Another vegan idea is a plain risotto that can be flavored with anything from chopped veggies, saffron or just butter and Parmesan.

As for sides, these are a little easier to find and cook. Asparagus is a Spring staple right now and it is the perfect accompaniment. You can grill it for a smoky, sweet flavor or just boil it for a few minutes for a fresh green taste. Then there's the sauce . You could do just a simple melted butter with sliced hard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese on top of the stalks.  A lusher sauce is Hollandaise. This easy to make one is simply a combination of egg yolks or yolk substitute. melted butter, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. It elevates the asparagus to a sophisticated level. If you're into foraging then think about a dish of wild ramps. This is an onion , grown in the wild and has the tangy taste of shallots and garlic combined. They are best grilled with only olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Ramps can be added to risotto for a different kind of side dish.A light dish is a salad made of grilled peppers. Different colored bell peppers can be grilled and dressed with a garlicky balsamic dressing. Another lovely Sunday side dish is tomatoes Provencale, sliced tomatoes topped with breadcrumbs and sauteed in a garlic infused butter and oil sauce.

These times call for tradition and comfort. A Sunday dinner is just that. Create a sit down meal that's a bit more elevated than the average one.

A Piedmontese Picnic

Piemonte , located in the northern and most western part of Italy has summers are pure perfection at times, especially up in the Alps. Many trek to these mountains to enjoy the fresh air and cool streams. However they're also there to enjoy something far greater - Piemontese picnic dishes.

This is the food my mother and I grew up on. Piemontese food is more like what you'd get along the French Riviera (remember that our cuisine is the origin of French cooking).One of the most famous is cold veal with  tuna sauce - vitello tonnato. The simplest version of the sauce is mashed tuna in water mixed with mayo.Capers and their brine are added along with salt and pepper. The veal is boiled - bollito - along with such vegetables as carrots , leeks and parsnips. The last you can switch it up with subbing in cauliflower and broccoli for the leeks and parsnips. Also you can nix the meat if you feel it's too much trouble to make.Insalata rizzo is another favorite - and a family one too. It's taking a can of peas and carrots and mixing it rice. Again mayo is added to give it creaminess. Capers could be added if you want more saltiness. Another picnic must is insalata di carne cruda,is a minced raw beef or veal appetizer, prepared with lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. It's sort of like steak tatare and served with salad greens.

Salumeria - the Piemontese version of charcuterie - is always a big thing. There's a variety of different cured meats and a large baguette to slice for sandwiches. You could make bagnet verde, a cold sauce made from parsley, garlic, and those Piemontese staple breadcrumbs and anchovies for the meats. It's a nice alternative to aioli and plain olive oil. There is also bagnet ross, a combination of ripe tomatoes, onions, peppers, celery and parsley. Mashed anchovies and mustard are added for texture.All the ingredients are cooked and then pureed. Bagnet ross can be  chilled. Use it for dipping raw veggies or just hunks of bread. A great picnic idea is having the province's many cheeses with sliced rolls or baguettes.Tuma is a very strong, almost Limburger type cheese that would pair well with a hearty Barolo., the region's famed red wine.A less  - overpowering - fromage is Robiola, a Brie type cheese that would pair with grissini, the ultra thin bread sticks first made in Torino.

A Piemontese picnic is a sophisticated and delicious way to enjoy eating outdoors.There's a 's variety of refreshing and chilled dishes that make for good eating. Plan one and enjoy the flavors' of one of Italy most beautiful provinces.

Crumbing It

One of the essentials of any kitchen is a container of bread crumbs. They're not only good for coating fried foods but also acting as a filler and a topping for many dishes,.Breadcrumbs are one of the easiest things to create along with helping to repurpose  leftover bread and rolls.

Breadcrumbs are a pantry must have. They can be easily bought but also can be easily made. If you don;t have the time to take out the food processor , then buy the Progresso brand. They even have jumped on the panko bandwagon, producing the lighter,cruncher Japanese style ones. You can use their plain or for more flavor , their herb laced Italian style or  their Parmesan flavors. These last would be good for chicken Parmesan, however both flavors may be too overpowering for soups and meat loafs. Home made crumbs are another choice, and a better one. You can leave them plain or add a dash of dried oregano or rosemary. The best breads for this  are Italian and French  They produce a fine, almost sawdust like crumb that makes for excellent coating. I usually make my crumbs from Saltines or oyster crackers. Cracker meal has a richer flavor and also fries up nicely. It's usually half a sleeve of Saltines plus oregano, sea salt , and pepper ground together.It's my go to for when I make fried artichoke hearts. It also keeps well in the fridge and, since I always have crackers in the house, I 'm never at a loss.


Breadcrumbs are great for frying any kind of meat and fish. Many home chefs love to make breaded pork chops. This is an easy cook and the crumbs are great for absorbing the fat.Use cracker meal for a lighter fry up. Their flavor will compliment the rich earthy sweetness of the pork. Breaded chicken cutlets are another way to go. If you want a crisper bite go with the panko .Remember to first dip the cutlets into beaten egg and then dredge in the crumbs.You can make these a few days ahead like on a weekend when there's more prep time available .Store the cutlets  in resealable freezer bags and then they can be frozen up to one month .As easy as it is t buy a box of Mrs. Pauls' or Gorton's  homemade fish sticks or fillets taste so much better. You do have to debone and cut the fish into manageable pieces  before the dipping and dredging. For a softer "crunch' use regular breadcrimbs, for more crunch try the panko. Breadcrumbs also make an excellent filler for soups. My family recipe for the Piemontese pane pesto or panpiest calls for a cup of breadcrumbs to be added to a mix of egg and broth. It really is the backbone of the soup, give it a comforting smooth texture along  with toning down the 'egginess"/ Breadcrumbs can also be used as filler for meat loaf too. Use about one cup of dried breadcrumbs. For more zing sub in the Italian style ones.

Always have a container of bread crumbs or cracker meal in the kitchen. They're versatile and can be used in a number of recipes. Buy them or make your own for a tasty coating for meats or as a thickener for soups.

Sheet Pan Dinners With A Twist

One of the latest trends in home cooking right now is sheet pan meals. These are an easy cook and mix of the main meal and sides. Now there's another layer added to this - pasta. It gives a new texture and taste to a popular dish.

Melissa Clark decided to tackle this and write about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Any sheet pan meal is an easy make.It's just spreading out your desired ingredients on a baking sheet that's usually reserved for cookies and square  pizzas. She makes a roasted broccoli pasta. This is unusual in the sense that the main ingredient isn't a meat such as chicken or pork but pasta. Ms. Clark uses chiocciole , a  macaroni shaped kind, however, home chefs can also use fusilli or ziti.Using pasta does require the extra step of boiling it, but then it's really no different than boiling the wide noodles for lasagna. Vegetables are a must for any sheet pan meal. Broccoli is used because it roasts well,,with the florets becoming crispy. That and the pasta, which will become crisp too will pair nicely with the addition of fresh ricotta.The cheese will burnish and caramelize.Ms. Clark also adds a good sprinkling of Parmesan spiked breadcrumbs and lemon zest for more zing.

Even novice home chefs can create this tasty dish, perfect for a weekday dinner or weekend lunch.It does start off with a very hot oven. Ms. Clark recommends a 425 degree Farenheit oven Use a rimmed baking sheet. The broccoli is tossed with olive oil along with red pepper flakes, a pinch of sea salt  and cumin for flavor( you can swap out the pepper if it proves to be too spicy). Roast until tender and brown between eighteen and twenty-five minutes. Toss halfway through to make sure that all the florets are evenly cooked. The sheet pan is removed from the oven and it's time to turn on the broiler. At this point, the pasta should be boiled and then drained.It's also at this time that the
 breadcrumbs have to be spiced. Ms. Clark uses panko bread crumbs but I don't see why regular or homemade ones can 't be used. Toss the breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan,  lemon zest and salt and pepper. The pasta and broccoli are then tossed together on the pan then dollops of  the ricotta is added..It's then sprinkled with the breadcrumbs , along with getting a generous drizzle of olive oil. Broil for about two to three minutes or until browned and crisped. It's served with a squirt of lemon juice. Other veggies such as cauliflower and eggplant can be subbed in for the broccoli  while Camembert can be used for the ricotta.

A sheet pan meal is an easy meal. Add pasta to make it special and tastier. It's a nice spin on a new trend.

A Good Role Model

In the male-dominated world of restaurant cooking there is one woman who stands out. Dominique Crens is that woman, the one who is not only taking the restaurant world by storm but making a tremendous mark on the culinary world.She is not only being recognized by colleagues but also by Michelin as well.

Julia Moskin had the lucky chance to interview this dynamo for today's New York Times Food section. Chef  Crens has risen to the top, an almost meteoric rise. She has been honored by the French government for her contributions to gastronomy and culture along with being on the cover  of Gastronomique En Vogue. She was also profiled on "Chef's Table" on Netflix. Unlike others in her field, she has also delivered TED talks on defining success as well as spearheading a movement of chefs intent on bringing agriculture to Haiti  Of course there is going to be jealousy and questionings.It's surprised some American food lovers who are more familiar with April Bloomfield and Barbara Lynch. She is stunned herself at this rise and adulation. She was even going to decline the title, Best Female chef" because of its' sexist overtones. However, Chef Crens reconsidered it, realizing she could do something the cachet that came with it.

After all, she can use her name to influence and promote topics she is passionate about. Unlike other chefs, Chef Crens is outspoken on such hot buttons as immigration, religion, entitlement and even entitlement. Ms. Moskin describes her as thoughtful, out spoken, authoritative and soft hearted. Another aspect that also makes her stand out is that she is basically  home schooled, learning from her mother and not at a culinary school. She talked her way into Stars under chef Jeremiah Powers and then a stint in Indonesia. Along the way she honed and refined her skills, earning praise and followers. Her food and style are unapologetically artsy, personal and at times, risky. Chef Crens uses both the lush and the unconventional. There's foie gras, abalone and king crab mixed with such foraged ingredients as sea buckthorn and even plankton! Her featured  squash recipe is made with a persillade of pumpkin seeds, sage, parsley and lemon zest. What is unusual about it is that Chef crenz chars the squash as if it were peppers. It;s then cooked more in a pan and sprinkled with coarse sourdough breadcrumbs.toasted in melted butter.

Dominique Crens is a nova in the culinary world Yes, there are stars but she stands out as the brightest and the most unusual. She is at the forefront of a new wave of culinary innovators.

Redoing The Classics

Both ratatouille and cutlets are standard, almost classic home recipes. They've been made the same way since their invention. However both New York Times Dining culinary writers, Melissa Clark and David Tanis have put new spins on these recipes. They're a tastier and somewhat better alternative to the traditional ways of making them.

Melissa Clark totally remakes the French Provencale classic,ratatouille. Usually the melange of eggplant, tomatoes and onions are first sauteed and then  cooked  stew like in a garlicky olive oil until they're soft and tender.This is time consuming . Another quicker, and somewhat zippier method is roasting the veggies on  a medium fire  until they were well charred and tender.Italian or French bread is them sliced and also grilled until it's lightly charred and toasted.After the eggplants, peppers and tomatoes are cut into bite sized pieces and then put into a bowl. Olive oil , basil , thyme and lemon juice is poured over them and then mixed.Goat cheese is spread on the bread and piled high with this new version of ratatouille.

In his City Kitchen David Tanis, tries a more traditional, yet still innovative way of making cutlets.He tries it out with pork, but you can make them with turkey, chicken or the more used veal.Instead of using ready made breadcrumbs which can be dryer in texture, he takes day old French bread and makes crumbs from it. It creates a better texture and a better flavor as well.He suggests using olive oil for frying but you can also use butter and even a good lard . The trick to a flavorful cutlet is seasoning before and after frying and serve hot .

Ratatouille and cutlets alone or even together are great meal choices. Improve them with these new methods. of cooking. It[s a neat spin on traditional techniques.

A Well Made Meat Loaf

Meat loaf is considered the ultimate comfort food. It reminds us of home cooking and passed down family recipes.It's easy enough to make and with certain ingredients can also be considered even gourmet.Still, it's the perfect meal, especially on a crisp, fall evening.

The most important ingredient is the meat. Ground beef is the most traditional but you can also mix it with ground pork and veal. Mixing the different flavors makes for a tasty and juicy loaf. For a lower calorie one use ground turkey meat instead or even vegetarian beef crumbles. There is even a baby's firsts one made with equal portions of meat and formula. Binders usually are eggs and bread crumbs. The last can be flavored to give the meat loaf more taste.

Other ingredients can also be added. You can put in a hard boiled egg for more taste and protein. Some recipes call for bacon to be placed on the top for some crispiness and texture.Italian meat loaf calls for the addition of mozzarella and sauce while barbecue style calls for a half a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce. You can also make a cheesy meat loaf by adding strips of cheddar on top and putting under the broiler for minute or two. Other popular add ins are oregano, garlic, mushrooms and onions. For the vegan loaf, you can add healthy but yummy ingredients such as sunflower seeds , broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

There's nothing as comforting as a meat loaf dinner on a cool fall night. You can vary what you put in and tailor it to your family's tastes and likes. You can experiment with it or leave it traditional.No matter how you make it it's still a family favorite tasty and satisfying.

Good Stuffing

Stuffing is one of the symbols of Thanksgiving. The big bird is nothing without it anyway. There are several different ways to make It.We found that my grandfather's Swabian recipe, from Southern Germany is the best. He got it form his parents who were new to these shores but quick to incorporate it into American holidays.

Stuffing meats have been around since Roman times when even the occasional mouse was stuffed(my cats would love this! Meow!) The English have been preparing it since the 1600's as well as the French who first called it farce or stuffed meat. Stuffing or dressing got a renaissance in 1972 when Ruth Siems,a home economist was able to take breadcrumbs and flavorings and package them in a boxed mix called Stovetop Stuffing. Stuffing went from a once or biannual dish to something that could be made on a weekly basis.

What makes a good stuffing? The bread you put into it. Challah or any egg bread is the best but you can also add rye or pumpernickel for chewiness and more intense flavor.Some add chestnuts or sausage as well for body and flavor. Germans like to use sage in their dressing. This is what I grew up on and it is a wonderful flavor. My family recipe also includes sauteed celery and egg. This last almost makes for a cakelike stuffing that can be cut into squares. It's also easy to reheat int he microwave too.

Stuffing is what makes Thanksgiving hum. Even if you don't like turkey or yams, you;re sure to like stuffing. Who doesn't after all?