Mom Clarkes Sage Stuffing

Mom made the best sage stuffing ever! I can remember her standing in the kitchen cutting up celery and onion, making the whole house smell like the holidays with turkey in the air. Later, as she began having trouble standing on her feet for long periods, we would take her the bread, celery, and onion for her to cut up while sitting in the living room watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade or whatever was on at the time. We didn't mind helping, either, because we knew what the outcome would be!

One Christmas my Mom came to visit the children and me while my husband was at sea. It was a lonely time for us both. Dad had passed away and both she and I were without our "guys", as she said. Up until then, I could only guess about the ingredients and how Mom prepared things. The procedure and contents had long since slipped away. But Mom remembered and showed me how to do it. It would be the last time she and I would ever really cook together again.  It wouldn't be the last time we were in a kitchen together but it would be the last time we worked together on preparing the food. 

My Mom lived long enough to meet her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and to see her first great-great-grandchild's birth photo. That's pretty freaking awesome! 

• 2 loaves of day-old white bread, crusts and all
• 4-6 ribs of celery, rough chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 stick cold butter
• 3-4 tablespoons rubbed sage (more if you like)
• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp parsley

1. Hot turkey broth made from the neck and gizzards (this will require several hours of cooking at a simmer to extract all of the flavors, so make it the day before)
2. Tear your bread up into small bits into a large bowl.
3. Sautee the celery and onion in a little oil until barely softened (about 3 minutes).
4. Remove and pour into the bowl with the bread
5. Put in the seasonings and lay in the whole stick of COLD butter.
6. Pour in one cup of the hot turkey broth to begin with, and toss with a large spoon. 
7. Add more broth, a little at a time, until the bread is moistened but not soaked. 
8. Adjust seasonings as needed

If you're comfortable stuffing it in the bird, do so but I prefer to bake mine in a prepared baking dish at 350 for 1 hour.