I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving this year. We did, as we visited my parents for a short weekend. Lots of good food and conversation.

I’m late getting these recipes posted, as work has been a crazy, busy mess. I’m not complaining a bit, though. Being a freelancer, you take the work when it presents itself. It just has kept me too busy to blog this past month.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes is mushroom dressing. I’ll admit I’m not a huge stuffing fan, probably because most recipes use celery. I like celery – just not in my stuffing thank you. About 20 years ago or so, I found a recipe for mushroom dressing in the Des Moines Register. I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times and have tweaked it along the way from the original one I first saw. My family likes this version, and I hope you do too.

Mushroom Dressing

1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
8 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken stock
2 packages of stuffing mix (plain, herbed or use day-old homemade bread cubes), about 5 cups
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (omit or reduce amount if using seasoned bread cubes)
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the sliced mushrooms and sliced onions. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reduces and the mushrooms and onions are soft, about 15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes (or stuffing mix) with enough chicken stock to thoroughly moisten the bread. Add the cooked mushrooms and onions, the poultry seasoning if using, and the chopped water chestnuts. Stir until well combined and everything is moistened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place dressing mixture in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.