Our Family's Favorite Stuffing (printable version)

Barbara's grandmother's recipe for great, moist stuffing.  This recipe will adequately stuff an 18 -22 lb turkey.

1/2 loaf, 2 day-old, bread, left out to dry
Gizzards & innards from the turkey or other bird
1 lb ground beef
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 package of Pepperidge Farm Herb stuffing mix
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon Belle's seasoning, or to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

Par boil liver, gizzards, heart & neck in 2 quarts of lightly salted water for 20 minutes.  Set aside.   Finely cut & ground boiled liver, gizzard & heart in blender.  Save the broth!  (Discard the neck.) Sauté the ground beef, celery & onion in a large frying pan with the butter or margarine.  Add the ground gizzards & sauté for 1/2 hour or until tender.

In a large bowl, break the stale bread into small pieces.  Add Pepperidge Farm mix & Belle's seasoning.  Add sautéed mixture to bread.  Combine with a spoon.  Add the eggs, combining the entire mixture.  Slowly add the saved broth, mixing everything together a little at a time.  The more broth you use, the moister the stuffing will come out.  (We use almost all of the broth.)  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Bake in a covered baking dish at 350° F. for 45 minutes.  Remove the cover for the last 5 minutes.

Note:  If you use the stuffing to stuff your bird, DO NOT ADD THE STUFFING until the bird is ready to go into the oven for roasting or grilling.  Be sure to properly clean the bird with cold water & salt prior to stuffing. The temperature of the center of the stuffing should be 160° F.  Failure to follow good, sanitary cooking guidelines could cause you & your loved ones to become ill.

Russian or Siberian Borscht (printable version)

When Barbara & I were in Russia a couple of Decembers ago adopting our son, we finally had REAL Russian borscht.  And boy was it delicious!  It's not just beet soup, it's a hearty stew in a beet broth.  Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

2 quart jars of Gold's Russian Borscht
1/2 lb ground beef or mild sausage cut into bite sized pieces
3 potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
sour cream

Brown the ground beef or sausage in a Dutch oven.  Add all remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, then lower to simmer for 1 hour or until the vegetables are done.  Let stand for a couple of hours for the flavors to intensify.  Reheat before serving.  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream (makes it taste creamy & good).  Serve with a hearty bread.