Thinking Ahead to Thanksgiving

My daughter recently moved across the country and won’t be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. She has plans to share the holiday with friends and emailed a request for some of her favorite recipes, which she’ll bring to her Thanksgiving celebrations. I haven’t posted a recipe on my blog for quite some time, so in upcoming blogs, I thought it timely to do so.

Thanksgiving is at my house again this year, and I am just starting to think about my menu. I prefer to start preparing and freezing dishes ahead of the holiday. This recipe for Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing has been a winner the past few years. It can be baked in a casserole or, as is our personal preference, baked in individual muffin cups, called Stuffin’ Muffins. The best part is that it freezes beautifully, especially as Stuffin’ Muffins.

Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing

2 T. butter (I prefer a light drizzle of olive oil instead)
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornbread muffins (like the oversized ones you purchase in your grocery store bakery), crumbled (I use an entire box of Trader Joe’s cornbread mix – prepared)
A handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped (This is one of those popular Thanksgiving herbs that can be hard to find. Even 4 weeks ahead of the holiday, I had trouble finding it. I was able to locate it in a 1 ounce package at Trader Joe’s, but I had to call ahead for a few days until I found it in stock. I use the entire 1 ounce package when I double the recipe. See notes below.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (I omit the salt since it’s in the muffins and chicken stock)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup heavy cream (skim milk works fine)
1/4 cup chicken broth (reduced sodium chicken broth in a can)

Drizzle a light coating of olive oil in a large pan, over medium heat, and add the onions, cooking until soft and lightly caramelized. While the onions are cooking, blend the egg, milk and chicken broth. Add the blended liquids to the remaining ingredients above in a large bowl and mix well. Incorporate the caramelized onions and stir to combine.

For the casserole: spray a 13 inch casserole dish with Pam cooking spray.
For the Stuffin’ Muffins: Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. Fill each muffin cup to the top.
Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. If you are freezing the Stuffin’ Muffins, consider baking the recipe until the tops are not quite golden, since you will reheat them in the oven on Thanksgiving.

Notes: I double this recipe, yielding approximately 30 plus muffins. If you search online, you will find a variety of stuffing recipes made as Stuffin' Muffins.


Please Note: If you are reading a posting from this blog through sources
other than the actual blog or a subscription to the blog,
you can find additional postings from Mom Knows Best at:
http://bloggermomknowsbest.blogspot.com/
where you will also find a link enabling you to subscribe directly to the blog.
Thanks,
Mom
Follow me on Twitter: @MomBlogsBest