Ben's Sausage Mushroom Stuffing

My mother is wonderful cook but stuffing was never her forte. No matter how much stock she poured on it at all stages of cooking it always came out dry. After a childhood of dining on the ubiquitous stuffing brick I decided as an adult to master the art of dressing. As a result of my experiments I discovered two secrets to moist stuffing. Make sure you don't overcook it and add fat to maintain a moist texture. I've made many variations over the years but the following recipe always pleases all palette's and is easy to prepare.

Here's the ingredient list: 1 package Pepperidge Farms herb stuffing mix(any variety), 16 oz. roll sage breakfast sausage, 1 onion(chopped), 4 stalks celery(chopped), 1 stick butter, 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms, chicken stock.

Brown and crumble sausage in a small sauce pan then set aside(do not drain). In a large sauce pan melt butter and saute onions and celery until soft. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Add mushrooms and sausage to pan. Add enough stock to reserved liquid to equal two cups and add to pan. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Add stuffing mix and stir just enough to combine ingredients and then cover. Let stand five minutes. The stuffing is now ready to eat or put in the bird. If you need to to reheat in a casserole, do it covered at 350 degrees for ten or fifteen minutes. Just enough to get it hot. Corn bread or white, in the bird or out, this one won't fail. Enjoy!

Decadent Twice Baked Potatoe Casserole

This is a favorite Thanksgiving side dish in my family and one of my own creation. It satisfies my wife's love of classic mashed potatoes and my need to amp the flavor and complexity of a ho hum standard. It also has the virtue of reheating and traveling well.

Here's the ingredient list: 3 lbs. peeled potatoes, 1 pint sour cream, 1/2 package bacon(fried crisp), 8 oz. sharp chedder cheese, one stick butter, 2 TBS. garlic powder, 1 TBS salt.

Boil peeled potatoes until fork tender. Drain potatoes and return to pan. Add butter and mash until well crushed but not smooth. Stir in sour cream, garlic powder, and salt then transfer to a casserole dish. Top with grated cheese first and then crumbled bacon. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Cool five minutes and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Here's my version of the thanksgiving and pot luck classic with all the feature's that make it a truly American dish.

Here's the Ingredient list: 1 large onion, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 16 oz. Velveeta, 1 package frozen chopped broccoli(the old fashioned square box), 1 cup rice(dry), 1 stick butter or margarine, 2 sticks celery.

Cook the rice and set aside to cool. Microwave the broccoli about 6 minutes on high and drain. Chop the onion and celery and saute in butter until onions start to clear. Add the mushroom soup, Velveeta, and stir until cheese is melted. Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until top slightly browns. One reason this dish is such a favorite is that when cooked ahead of time and reheated, it loses none of it's charms. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving is on the Way!

Well turkey day is almost here and so starts my favorite season for cooking. Meats will be roasting with stews, chili's, and soups simmering. Breads and pies will be baked and endless streams of leftovers will be creatively reconciled. Carbs and fats will be our friends and potatoes will occupy a separate food group. Don't forget to take your statins! Of course as usual I will do everything considered wrong by the current food pundits of the age when preparing the all essential bird. I will not defrost in the fridge, I cannot spare the space, but instead my frozen fowl will reside in the sink overnight. Further throwing bacterial caution to the winds I will stuff my gobbler with my famous stuffing and it's glorious fat load obtained from a pound of ground sausage and a 1/4 pound of butter. After lovingly massaging a large quantity of sea salt and herbs under the breast skin I will roast her partially covered, sans meat thermometer, at a low temperature of 325 degrees until the legs practically fall off rendering all poisoning concerns moot. Despite the lengthy roast time, due to the stuffing fat, salt, and temperature, she will be moist, delicious and no one will suffer gastric upset. I hope your inspired to cook something new this year and I will be posting my all time favorites. Speaking of inspiration, The Pioneer Woman has a great looking oyster dressing recipe. I'm a big fan of oyster dressing so I'm planning to give it a try. Keep cooking like you mean it!

Tex Mex month continues with Beef Fideo

This week we have a recipe for beef fideo. The ingredients are as follows: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 medium onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 8oz package of vermicelli for fideo, 1 tsp comino, 1 tsp garlic powder, corn tortillas and grated chedder cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas Ranchero and Ben's Texican Soup

In this episode I'll be using four chicken leg quarters to make two meals. Other things you'll need are one onion, one bell pepper, 3 cans of tomatoes, one small can tomato sauce, jack cheese, and twenty five corn tortillas. You'll also need the standard mexican spices, comino, chilli powder, and garlic powder and one special ingredient, Knorr tomato/chicken bullion. Keep'em handy as we're going to be doing a whole Texmex series this month just in time for cooler weather.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Today on Hardscrabble Gourmet I'll show you how to make mushroom spinach quiche. It's elegant, inexpensive, and perfect when you have house guests or a special pot-luck. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Short Ribs and Pickling Jalapenos

This episode covers a beef short rib recipe as well as how to make homemade pickled jalapeno slices. For more information on home canning check out the USDA publication here. I also highly recommend the Ball Big Blue Book of home canning. It's been the canning bible for generations.

BenJaMun's Spaghetti and Meatballs

Join the Hardscrabble Gourmet as we make spaghetti and meatballs. Here's an ingredient list for today's recipe:

Meat Balls: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 medium onion, 4-5 eggs, seasoned italian bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano, salt, accent.

Sauce: 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt, oregano, basil, accent.