Making Tuesday Tasty-Herb And Bacon Stuffing

It's officially November!!! I'm so excited this is one of my favorite months and it's also the month of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love the food, the friends and family, I love the cooking and baking, and I just love this time of year.

Here's a scrumptious version of stuffing that I think you can make and enjoy with the whole family!

Ingredients

2 loaves Corn Bread

6 large celery ribs

1 pound onions (about 2 large)

1 pound sliced bacon

1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary, and/or marjoram or 2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs, crumbled

1 cup Turkey Giblet Stock or chicken broth

1/4 cup reserved fat from roast turkey or melted butter
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Preparation

Preheat oven to 325° F. and butter a 4-quart baking dish.
Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and dry in 2 large shallow baking pans in oven 20 minutes. Remove corn bread from oven and leave oven at 325° F. Coarsely chop separately celery, onions, and bacon.

In a large, deep skillet sauté bacon over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add celery and onions and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

In a large bowl toss together corn bread and bacon mixture and transfer to baking dish. Stuffing may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.

Drizzle stock or broth over stuffing and bake, covered, 1 hour. Drizzle reserved fat or butter over stuffing and bake, uncovered, in upper third of oven 30 minutes more, or until top is golden.

*recipe and photo courtesy of epicurious.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Quiche Lorraine

I grew up eating this particular quiche. I don't like eggs by themselves much, but when they're in a yummy grouping like this I love them! You could make your own dough or you could be crust challenged like me and use your favorite refrigerated dough from the grocery store. If you're going gluten free, I've seen some pre-made pie crusts at some specialty grocery stores. This is yummy and easy to make, so make some for a brunch or dinner for a treat. I like to serve this with something light like a salad or fruit.

Ingredients

Flaky Butter Crust, recipe follows

6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss


Directions

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.

Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Flaky Butter Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

To make the dough in a food process , combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse quickly 5 or 6 times, or until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a medium bowl, and mix with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, being careful not to overmix. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface according to the recipe, fit it into the pan, and allow to rest again in the refrigerator before baking.

Yield: one 9-inch tart or pie crust

*photo courtesy of bbcgoodfood.com*