Family Time! And Stuffing Too - Don't Forget the Stuffing!

Many of you remember reading about my oldest son a few months ago.  Last August I dropped him off in North Carolina, three thousand miles away from home, to begin his freshman year in college.  I sobbed, I cried ... and then I went off to have cocktails with some of my readers while I was there.

What?

My readers are the best - they made me feel better!  (Yes, they did!)

Others of you may remember even further back when I put my daughter on the wrong train to send her back to college.  It was one of my most stellar (!) mom-moments.

Doesn't it just make you want to stick around for the next few years and see what I'll do to my third child?

Heh ....

Last night my daughter drove home (arriving late) from her college which is here in California.  My eldest son flew in from North Carolina and arrived home even later than my daughter.  

My youngest still lives at home, of course, and he was overjoyed to see his brother and sister again.

No, really he was.  

I'm exhausted from the late night reunions.  I'm also overjoyed to have my family all together for the Thanksgiving weekend this year.

And thankful!

I will be doing a ton of cooking over the next few days.  I will get a few posts up on Twenty Four At Heart over the next few days also, but they will most likely be light and fluffy.  Or short and sweet.  Or ... something like that.  I know you understand.

In the meantime, I'm always curious to hear about other family's Thanksgiving traditions.  I realize many of you are reading from other countries and don't celebrate Thanksgiving.  However, even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving where you live you can still probably answer this question ...

What kind of stuffing/dressing do you like?  What is your family's favorite?

Cornbread?

Sausage?

Plain?

Let me know!  I'm nosy.

P.S.  As many of you have requested, I've turned off word verification in my comments section.  It's now easier and much faster to leave comments.  You're very welcome!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Deidre]

I actually don't like stuffing. I am so happy that you've got your family all together, and a little jealous.

[stoneskin]

I just eat stuffing regardless of what is in it, all tastes the same to me...

At last, no word verification, now that makes me very happy indeed.

Happy cooking.

[Lori]

Just reading that you have all of your kids home together makes me smile. Enjoy every moment with them! XX Lori

[Margie]

I make cornbread "dressin'". :)

[Jan]

YAY! on the word verification.

Isn't it wonderful to have them all home? Oldest Son has to leave first thing Friday morning (he has to go to job #2 Friday night - boooooo, hissssss (but at least he takes his work commitments seriously)), but Darling Daughter is staying until Monday.

Cornbread dressing all the way, baby. We made the cornbread last night, along with the cranberry sauce and the pie crusts.

[Jenn in Tenn]

Love all kinds of dressing, not picky here! I plan on brining my bird tonight. Our tradition has changed over the last few years, since my mother lost her husband to cancer several years ago, she just comes to my house and we cook together there. It's always nice to be together. This year, my cousin will be joining us as well. Her husband died suddenly about 3 months ago and I am thrilled that she accepted my invitation to spend time with us. So glad to hear your family is all together...Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

[Beth]

I love when the whole family can get together!

As for our Thanksgiving... We are having about 22 or so people over (I lose count). We make dressing (it is just a name change when it isn't stuffed in the bird) - but we usually have 2 or 3 kinds of dressing. Along with that we have green beans, squash casserole, broccoli casserole, cranberry sauce and chutney, mashed potatoes, turkey, and brunswick stew. Yeah. We live in the south. And so far, there are only 7 different types of desserts to choose from. No wonder I gain weight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[jimmie]

I don't really like stuffing (I know! I'm weird...), but I make it every year for our big Turkey Day gathering. Always, always cornbread stuffing, sometimes with sausage, but usually just with onions, celery, chicken broth, and a boatload of herbs and spices. This year, I'm using Southern Living's Cornbread Stuffing recipe.

[di]

Thanks... so many blogs have that unnecessary word verification and it is el stinkarooni in my opinion.

Anyhoo, Hubby makes our stuffing starting with a boxed mix and then adds a bunch of really great stuff like celery, onions, mushrooms. Mighty tasty by the time it rolls out of the back end of the bird from the oven. Just the two of us here this year so we'll be eating turkey, taters, stuffing and cranberry sauce for at least a week. *giggles*..... but we love it!

Happy Thanksgiving, Suzanne and let one of your sons lift that turkey into and out of the oven for you!

Di

[Kelly]

Ours has cranberries and nuts and lots of other yummy stuff in it. Yummmmmmm!
Love that you got rid of word verification!

[Kay]

This year it's Stove Top. Yeah, I'm bad. Thanksgiving is at our house and I took the easy way on the stuffing. But I do love Stove Top so who will ever know???? Happy Thanksgiving and love your website!

[Maureen@IslandRoar]

I love ALL stuffing! I make one that my mom, grandmother and HER mother made. It's simple (Irish) and plain but I love it. My trashy kids prefer stovetop, so I have to do both on Thanksgiving. My son and older daughter on on a plane and bus as I write, winging their way to the Vineyard....
Can't wait!
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy.

[Lynette]

My moms is country and so... cornbread (from scratch...) dressin'....i love it and even though I don't eat it any other time of the year, I'll make myself sick off of it tomorrow. THAT and the homemade mac & cheese. Mmmm....I feel myself gaining 5 lbs just thinking about it.

[Linda]

Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix.
Without word verification how do you keep the spammers out?

[Sandra]

Corn bread stuffing is my favorite.

Traditionally, if my moms side of the family gets together (Italian) there is 2 or 3 turkeys, salad, mashed potatoes, regular stuffing, lots and lots of wine and loud conversation.

Traditionally when my dads side got together it was always corn bread stuffing. I LOVE cornbread stuffing. It's what I make if I do stuffing. An appetizer would always be celery with cheese spread on it, mashed potatoes, cranberry from a can (round w/markings!) and the news turned way up loud so the old people could hear it.

Traditionally when my husbands side of the family gets togetherit's a fried or BBQ'd turkey, regular stuffing and the typical stuff you see at Thanksgiving. The adults conduct polite conversation and most don't drink. But I do!

I prefer the Italian Thankgiving. This year we're attending the Italian Thansgiving Thursday and my husbands side of the family on Friday. I'll be a rolly polly all weekend.

[lynn]

I'm thankful to see my college kid home, too! It will be hard to say goodbye on Sunday...
Any and all stuffing is good to me, as long as it's moist...my usual is made with sausage but sometimes there's vegetarians present so I go with the cornbread recipe.

Enjoy your family gathering!
lynn

[Renee Couturier]

I am so happy for you to have your family together at Thanksgiving. That's what it's all about.
I live my stuffing w/sausage.

[Karen]

I'm happy that your family is all together this Thanksgiving.

My family lives and is from the South (Texas) and normally gather at my house. However, this years festivities will be at my baby sisters home. We always have LOTS of food: turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce (homemade), greenbean casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn on the cob, mash potatoes, gravy, broccoli/cheese casserole and many, many desserts.

As for the cornbread dressing, my mothers recipe is cooked crumbled cornbread made from scratch, chicken broth, celery/onions sauteed in real butter, diced boiled eggs, fresh garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and sage. My mother always said, "to taste it before you bake it ... if it doesn't taste good before it's baked it won't taste good after it's baked."

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!

[Lo]

enjoy your family, you deserver it mama!!!!!

also, my mom makes killer stuffing. and gravy. and. and. everything. i just LOVE thanksgiving bc she makes everything and c'mon, everything tastes the best when mom makes it! happy thanksgiving 24 :)

[dogmother]

Used to hate stuffing, now I love it. Traditional recipe includes all the artery-clogging essentials...butter to the max, bacon and sausage. If you live through the meal without having an MI at the table, you're good to go!
P.S. Love your pics! So glad you're enjoying your new camera.

[Kristan]

Woot no more word verification! I'm thankful for that.

Also thankful for the St. Martin's "New Adult" contest, of which I am a finalist! ( http://sjaejones.com/blog/2009/st-martins-new-adult-contest/ )

And last but definitely not least, the health and happiness of my loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving, 24!

[Ginger]

I'm in North Carolina, so the next time you're out this way - visit me! I'm nosy too. What college is your son going to? I have one at ECU! As far as dressing, I always have oyster dressing. I've blogged about it. And this includes the recipe.

http://gingereebs.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/really-simple-oyster-dressing/