Sausage Stuffed Bone-in Turkey Breast

My husband doesn't like dark meat so, even though it is my preference, it doesn't always make sense to get a whole big turkey just for the two of us.  If we get a hankerin' for a turkey dinner, and it's only us, then I'll just get a bone-in breast.  

I don't know about you, but I can't have turkey without stuffing.  It just isn't right.  One of my favorite stuffing recipes uses sausage and water chestnuts.  The sausage adds moisture and flavor and the water chestnuts create wonderful texture.

Sausage Stuffed Bone-in Turkey Breast


1 (5-7 Lb.) Turkey Breast, Bone In, Skin On
Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning (Or Salt And Pepper To Taste)
1/2 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Chopped Celery
1 4-Ounce Can Water Chestnuts, Drained and Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Lb Bulk Sausage
4 Cups Stale Bread Cubes
1/2 Tsp. Dried Sage Leaves
1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme Leaves
1 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 To 1/3 Cup Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Butter, Softened


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse turkey breast and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In large skillet, brown the sausage until most of the pink is gone.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter and cook celery and onion until tender. 










Return the sausage to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients (except 2 tbsp butter). Add chicken stock and toss until lightly moistened.

Loosely stuff the breast cavity, don't over stuff because the stuffing expands.  In a large baking dish (I use a large cast iron skillet) place the breast, stuffing side down.  

Loosely stuff the neck cavity and cover with skin flap.  Rub the breast all over with the remaining butter. Sprinkle with Tony Chachere to taste.

If there is extra stuffing left over kind of pack it around the base of the breast and cover with foil.  The foil will keep it moist and prevent it from burning.

Roast the turkey and stuffing at 350 degrees for 2 to 2-1/2 hours until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the meat reads 165 degrees F. 

You can baste it if you want to but I find it unnecessary.

Serve with all your favorite fixin's.  

Stovetop Chicken Skillet

If you read my blog with any kind regularity then you know that I try to cook everything from scratch whenever possible.  It's my preferred method.  However, sometimes reality doesn't allow me to spend so much time making a meal.  So, yes, sometimes I cheat and take shortcuts.  Shocking, I know!

This is one of my favorite cheater recipes using stuff I keep in the pantry for just such a dinner emergency.  It basically requires very little work on my part and is yummy.


Stovetop Chicken Skillet  



1-1/2 Cups Hot Water
1/4 Cup Butter Or Margarine, Melted
1 Pkg. (6 Oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix For Chicken
6 Small  Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves (1-1/2 Lb.)
1 Can  (10-3/4 Oz.) Condensed Cream Of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Sour Cream




Mix hot water, butter and stuffing mix.

Brown chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 5 minutes on each side.

Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing; cover. Cook on low heat 10 min. or until chicken is done.

Note:  If you have an anti-mushroom crowd like I do, then substitute pretty much any cream-of-whatever soup that floats your boat - like cream of chicken.  

An ex is an ex for a reason

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook:

to which I promptly responded:

Which begs to question . . . why on earth would you remarry someone when it obviously didn't work out the first time around?  They are your ex for a reason.  It clear there were problems . . . probably many . . . that lead to the demise of the first union . . . what would make you believe that those same issues wouldn't rear their ugly little heads on the second go-'round?


Its like when you take out some milk from your fridge, discover its gone bad... and put it back in the fridge... and you think "Well... maybe it'll be better tomorrow".


Me?  I was young and stupid and impetuous.  I was more in love with the idea of being married than I was to my husband.  The marriage was awful and the divorce was a nightmare.  I swore I would never put myself through that again and I never had any intention of ever getting married again . . . to anyone let alone my ex-husband.  

Of course, when I was older and wiser, I met Mr. Wonderful and life as I knew it suddenly exploded into fairy dust and burst with unicorn farts.  Life is good. 

The divorce rate in the United States is somewhere between 40 and 45 percent.  10% of those people will remarry their ex . . . way more than half of those people will end up in divorce court again.


I think someone who would consider, however so briefly, rekindling a relationship with their ex-spouse the following . . . 

Imagine all the little thing he/she did that annoyed the bejoobies out of you . . . imagine all those things and then try to visualize all the new annoying habits they've learned since.



Did that person cheat on you, beat on you or otherwise abuse you?  What makes you think they won't do it again . . . and again and again and again.  


Did they hate your family? Your friends?  You?  I'll be they still do.


Did you have anything in common?  No?  And all of a sudden you do?  


Did you even like each other?

I see my ex-husband . . . not by choice . . . and he's the same lazy, sarcastic, condescending jerk he always was.  I don't think it's easy for people to change . . . I'm not saying they can't change but people are pretty much who they are and who they always will be. 

My opinion that a failed marriage is doomed to fail again . . . why would anyone want to experience the same kind of pain and distress twice?


Not I, says I.

A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving

 This is OMG!! good!   And, so easy!

5 Cups Dry Bread Cubes

1/4 Cup Instant Stuffing Mix

1 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Tony Chachere Seasoning

   Or Salt and Pepper to taste

1 (12 Ounce) Jar Turkey Gravy

1 (10.75 Ounce) Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 (16 Ounce) Can Cranberry Sauce

4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves - Cubed

Toss together 2 1/2 cups dry bread cubes and 2 tablespoons instant stuffing mix; set aside. Combine the remaining bread cubes, instant stuffing mix, mushrooms, onion, celery, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt, sage, pepper, gravy, condensed soup, and cranberry sauce in a large bowl.

Place the reserved bread crumbs and stuffing mix into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chicken and top with the vegetable, bread, and gravy mixture. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours.

Tastes like chicken

To me, Thanksgiving is the bestest meal ever.  What's not to like?  Turkey, cranberry sauce, and carb overload . . . stuffing, smashed taters, corn, bread . . . you get the picture.  So, throughout the year I try to find ways of experience this yummiest of meals without going through all the work to make a full-on turkey feast.  

After one such meal, talking to hubby I find out that he can't taste the difference between turkey and chicken.  Really?  Is he for real? Yeah . . . he is.  I don't know how he can't tell the difference.  That's like saying you can't tell the difference between an orange and a mandarin . . . same family . . . totally different taste.

Perhaps I have a more refined or cultivated palate but turkey has a unique taste to it that is hard to describe, but it tastes very different from chicken. 




Anyhoo . . . have you ever noticed how many things actually do taste like chicken?  And, I'm not just talking poultry, here.  I've heard people describe rattle snake, rabbit and . . . gulp . . . cat as tasting like chicken.  It's like God got bored of making up different flavors after making chicken and made everything else taste like that.  Just a theory.

Turkey & Stuffing Roll Ups

12 Slices Deli Roasted Turkey Breast 

1 - (6oz) Package Stove Top Stuffing Or Homemade

2 Cups 2  Prepared Turkey Gravy

1 - 10 Oz Can Cream Of Chicken Soup

Prepare stuffing according to package directions and set aside. Prepare gravy according to packet directions or use jarred gravy add the soup and mix until blended.

Spoon 1/4 cup stuffing onto each turkey slice. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Continue rolling the remaining turkey slices.

Pour gravy mixture over turkey rolls and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Recipe yields 12 turkey rolls.

Good day, sir ... I said good day

You know what I can’t stand?  No, I guess you don’t so I will tell you.

Store greeters.  I don’t dislike them on a personal level.  I’m sure that they are quite lovely and pleasant people.  I just have an aversion to what they do.  You see, I don’t particularly like talking to people . . . especially strangers.  Perhaps it was my upbringing . . . stranger danger!  stranger danger!   I don’t know but . . . with the exception of my beloved hubby and my angsty teenager . . . on any given day I would be happy not to have to talk to anyone . . . at all. 

So, when I walk into a store and am practically forced to speak to someone . . . someone I don’t know . . .  it goads me somewhat.  Since . . . again because of how I was raised  . . . I can’t bring myself to be rude and ignore them.  I feel compelled . . . nay . . . obligated to respond in kind . . . and kindly.   That makes irks me.

I just want to go about my business, collect my items to purchase, pay for them and leave . . . without having to say a word to anyone.  Is that too much to ask?

What’s worse is that I can’t avoid them.  They’re right there . . . standing there . . . waiting to welcome me (or any other person who strolls through the door).    And when I leave . . . they’re right there . . . standing there . . . waiting to wish me (or any other person who is departing the store) a pleasant day.  

And that’s they’re job.  They get paid to do this.

That is all I have to say about that.

And don't even get me started on the people hanging around malls and store trying to ask people survey questions . . . 

Sausage Stuffing Casserole Recipe

1 Pound Pork Sausage

1/2 Cup Onion, Chopped

2 Stalks Celery, Chopped

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter Or Margarine

3 Cups Herb Seasoned Stuffing Mix

2 Cans (15 Ounce Size) Cream Style Corn

   or one recipe Creamed Corn

1 Teaspoon Parsley Flakes

Cut sausage into 1 inch pieces. 

In a skillet, cook sausage, onion and celery till vegetables are tender and meat no longer is pink. Drain off excess fat.

Stir melted butter or margarine into 1 cup of the stuffing mix; set aside to use as a topper.

In a bowl, combine the cream-style corn with sausage, onion, celery and parsley. Stir in remaining stuffing mix.

Spoon into a 2-quart casserole. Spoon the 1 cup reserved stuffing mix over top.

Bake the casserole, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for about 35 minutes or till bubbly and browned.