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.  

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.

The very essence of instinct is that it's followed independently of reason.

Yeah, well, if  wishes were fishes we'd all be eatin' sushi.  Sadly . . . perplexingly . . . it's a true story.


A man walked into a store whips out a bullet and says "this is a stick-up" . . . not in those exact words but that's the gist of what happened.     You can't make this stuff up.  


And to further prove that fact is often stranger than fiction . . . there is a Wisconsin man who had his name legally changed to . . . wait for it . . . . wait for it . . . Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-bop-bop.  Is Mr.  Zopittybop-bop-bop an upstanding, responsible citizen?  Of course not . . . he's got a rap-sheet a mile and a half long.  Perhaps he changed his name to gain some anonymity so he could go on the straight and narrow.  Uhm . . . right!  Not.  He was arrested just two months after he went from Jeffrey Drew to Beezow Doo-Doo for drug possession and carrying a knife.


And then there's the brainiac who stole an airplane, took off and then realized he didn't know how to fly or . . . . more importantly . . . land the thing.  


and the Darwin award goes to . . . 

Gravy from Turkey Stock

1 Turkey Bones

2 Teaspoons Salt

Dash Pepper

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

  

Add bones to pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 to 4 hours. Cool slightly; strain broth into a bowl. Refrigerate then remove fat from top of broth.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; gradually add flour and stir until golden brown.

Slowly whisk in stock until blended and smooth. Stir in giblets, and season with pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.