This was posted on another thread, but I'll post it again here. I like it because all the work is done ahead of time. Just add the drippings from your T-day bird at the last minute and you're good to go with gravy.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
Makes about 2 quarts
For more flavor, after roasting the turkey you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. It's best to discard the strong-tasting liver before using the giblets. This recipe makes enough to accompany a large turkey and still have plenty for leftovers.

6 turkey drumsticks, thighs, or wings
reserved turkey giblets
reserved turkey neck
2 carrots , chopped coarse
1 head garlic , halved
2 ribs celery , chopped coarse
2 onions , chopped coarse
Vegetable oil spray
10cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
12 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place giblets, neck, drumsticks, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil, and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Transfer contents of roasting pan to Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard solids), cover stock with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours.
3. Using soup spoon, skim fat and reserve. Heat 1/2 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.) Reheat gravy in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.

Ann, that's the kind of dressing I like to make, with a lot of fruit and nuts. I make it without a recipe, but yours has given me some ideas and the quantities will help too.

Here's a recipe I like:

Sweet Potato Puree with Ginger & Tangerines (fat free)

2-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
3 tangerines
1" piece of ginger

Scrub but do not peel potatoes. Place in a pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 50 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.

Meanwhile, grate the rind of the tangerines on the fine holes of a grater to get 1 tsp. Cut the tangerines in half and squeeze to get 1/2 c. juice. Peel the remaining tangerine and remove the white pith and any seeds. Cut into small pieces. (You might be able to do this with a vegetable peeler, just getting rind and no white.)

Drain the potatoes in a colander and peel under cool running water. Cut the flesh into large chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor. (don't have one so I used the mixer)

Using a small, sharp knife, peel and finely mince 3 T of ginger. Add to the processor along with the tangerine zest and juice. Process until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and add salt to taste. Reheat gently before serving and top with diced tangerines. Serves 6

Variations: Garnish with finely chopped parsley or a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Per serving: 205 calories, 2g protein

Does anyone have a stuffing recipe that doctors up Pepperridge farm or something like that? I have never made stuffing from scratch and am not sure if I can pull it off. It seems complicated. I can make a great turkey and all the other sides, but stuffing is something I have never mastered.

What about a apple and pear salad? I think I saw someone, maybe Linda post she was making this salad. Would love that recipe.

This is something I make thats super easy that my family loves. My sister asks for it every year.

Cranberry Whip Salad
16 ounces canned whole cranberries (can be hard to find...I have had to buy the kind in sauce and rinse...takes more cans though)

5 1/2 ounces pineapple chunks, crushed

2 cups water

7 ounces raspberry gelatin (or cranberry if you prefer)

1 cup cream

1/4 cup sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons French salad dressing

1 1/2 cups nuts, chopped

1 cup apple, chopped

Drain canned whole cranberries and crushed pineapple chunks, reserving liquid. Measure liquid and if necessary add water to make 2 cups.

In a saucepan, boil water and combine with raspberry gelatin. Cool until thick; then add reserved liquid. Refrigerate until needed.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, whip cream with sugar. Refrigerate until needed.

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese and French salad dressing.

Fold in the gelatin; mixing well. Fold in the whipped cream, the fruit mixture, chopped nuts, and finely chopped apple.

Pour into a 2 quart mold or serving bowl. Chill overnight.

Serving Size: 8

I also add some cream that has been wipped onto the top and add a layer of cranberries and nuts for decoration.

Patches, I don't exactly have a recipe, but I do make my stuffing starting with the Pepperidge Farm seasoned mix. I follow the package directions about adding broth & butter (I make the broth from the giblets & neck and use some pan drippings from the turkey). I add fresh chopped sauteed onion (at least a cup), celery (another cup), apple (1 large), parsley(til it looks right), sage, sweet dried cranberries--altogether, more than the package suggests--and a bit more salt to taste. I sometimes play with some other herbs & seasonings depending on my mood, and often put some cubed sweet potato in instead of preparing it separately. With all the extra ingredients, I bake most of it in a casserole instead of in the bird.

Even adding just onion, celery & parsley does a lot for the mix. Don't worry, you really can't go wrong.

Good luck, Raee

Thanks raee. I am going to give that a shot...sounds good and I love dried cranberries and apples!

Patches - this calls for real bread and not the stuffing cubes, but its really quite easy and quite good.

Bread and Sausage Stuffing (Marilyn)

2 pounds white bread
2 pounds pork sausage
6 stalks celery; chopped
2 onions; chopped
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic; minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 eggs
6 cups chicken stock

Cut bread into cubes and lay out to dry. In a large skillet, cook sausage until well browned; place in a large mixing bowl along with drippings. Cook onions and celery in butter until tender but not brown. Add all ingredients to the large bowl along with the sausage. Stir together well and pour into a greased 9X13X2-inch baking dish and bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes until puffed and golden but not too dry.

Spirited Pumpkin Pie

This is from www.epicurious.com. Not youÂre run of the mill pumpkin pie. This serves 8 people.

Ingredients

Crust
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground mace
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup dark rum
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix flour and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add ice water 1 tablespoonful at a time and process until moist clumps form. Gather into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 30 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer pastry to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under and crimp. Pierce pastry all over with fork. Freeze pastry 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake crust until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
For the filling, whisk first 10 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Whisk in all remaining ingredients. Pour filling into crust.
Bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake until filling no longer moves in center when dish is shaken, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

I always make my mom's dressing. (I think it's dressing if it's not inside the bird?) Her recipe is based on Pepperidge Farm seasoned croutons too. Her directions were, um, a little sparse. I assume she cooked the sausage first, so that's what I do, then put the mixture in a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 until it's browned on top. She used sliced water chestnuts...different, but I love the extra crunch.

Here is a link that might be useful: My mom's dressing :)

Weed, I hope you frame that recipe in your Mother's handwriting! I have a couple of recipes (including some of my Grandpa's cocktail recipes) that I intend to frame - maybe in a collage or maybe individually, haven't figured it out yet!