Stuffing or dressing? What do you guys call it? I go back and forth, but I guess this one is technically a dressing recipe. Because it isn’t stuffed in the turkey. However the southerner in me always wants to call it stuffing. Anywho, I wanted to share our Thanksgiving table decor, which was so easy to put together. I also have a recipe for stuffing (or dressing) that is gluten free, and can also be made dairy free, for your Thanksgiving meal! My mom came up with it, and it is so nice to have an option for our family members who have allergies and intolerances.
Side Note – How I Made The Turkey
I also wanted to share the two recipes I used to make turkey breasts for our Friendsgiving supper club. I used the brine instructions from this recipe and then this recipe to season and roast the turkey breasts. But be warned, mine took 1+ hour longer than the instructions say!
Thanksgiving Table Decor
You will need:
- 5 of these candlesticks – or you could do 3, but our table is very long; I did 2 of the shorter ones and 3 taller ones
- 5 of these candles
- 3 packs of eucalyptus – the larger, flat leaves are better
- 3 pomegranates
- 3 persimmons
- 5 small white pumpkins – or you could use apples or pears if pumpkins are no longer for sale near you
- 6 mercury glass votives with tealight candles
I placed the candlesticks, then laid the eucalyptus around it, making sure to not lay it all in the same direction. Then I placed the pumpkins, then the pomegranates, then the persimmons, then the votives. I was really happy with how it turned out!
For the place settings, I used my go-to placemats, our everyday china that we’ve used for 12 years, and these gold star napkins. I also added a couple of fresh sage leaves right before our supper club arrived.
Stuffing (or Dressing) Recipes
The first one is the gluten free recipe. This one uses Trader Joe’s gluten free stuffing mix, but you could probably find another brand somewhere. I know that Sprouts has a gluten free version.
This is the cornmeal I used to make the cornbread portion in both recipes.
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people
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal* I used Bob's Red Mill medium ground cornmeal
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup oil plus more for pan; I used melted coconut oil
- 1 box Trader Joe's GF stuffing mix
- 5 pieces GF bread I used Trader Joe's brand
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 yellow (sweet) onion chopped small
- 4 stalks (or 1 cup celery chopped small
- 1 1/2 sticks butter melted
- 1/3 tsp sage
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning (or a mix of dried herbs, I used Herbs de Provence + pinch of nutmeg)
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1 quart chicken broth make sure it is gluten free
- 1 egg
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add 1-2 Tbsp of coconut oil into a 10" cast iron skillet. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats.
- Mix the cornmeal, eggs, salt, baking soda, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, buttermilk, and coconut oil together.
- Take the pan from the oven and make sure the oil is spread around the pan. Be careful, it will be very hot!
- Add the cornbread mixture to the skillet and cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using. This step can be done a day ahead of time.
- Another step that can be made ahead of time is making croutons out of the gluten free bread. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven. You could do this at the same time as the cornbread, just be careful to watch the croutons so that they will not burn.
- Slice the gluten free bread into cubes and lay out on the pan with the parchment. Toss with the tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Allow to cool.
- Make the stuffing the day of serving, but it can be mixed and refrigerated during the day, then baked later. Just make sure it is at room temperature before baking. When you are ready to make the stuffing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the croutons and seasoning pack from the Trader Joe's stuffing mix into a large bowl. Add the homemade croutons. Crumble the cornbread into the bowl. Add the sage and poultry seasoning and stir to mix the ingredients.
- Add the onion and celery to the melted butter. Microwave for about 4 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened some. Add this to the cornbread-crouton mixture.
- Beat the egg and add some broth to it. Add the egg broth mixture and about a total of 3 3/4 cup broth to the stuffing mixture, stirring lightly until the broth is mixed in. Mixture will be wet, but it should not be soupy.
- Lightly spoon the mixture into a large sprayed dish so that it is about 3" thick, or you can use two pans. I used a deep dish 9x13, plus another medium sized casserole dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes to one hour. If it starts to get too brown on top, cover with foil until done. The bottom and top should be lightly browned.
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The second one is gluten free and dairy free. It is a bit more complicated, but worth it to make it allergy friendly!
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people
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cornmeal* I used Bob's Red Mill medium ground cornmeal
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil plus 1-2 more Tbsp for the pan
- 1 box Trader Joe's GF stuffing mix (will discard the croutons)
- 12 pieces GF DF bread I used Trader Joe's Brand; need enough for 6 cups of cubed bread
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 yellow (sweet) onion chopped small
- 4 stalks (or 1 cup) celery chopped small
- 1 1/2 sticks vegan butter try Earth Balance or Myokos, melted
- 1/3 tsp sage (ground)
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning (or a mix of dried herbs, I used Herbs de Provence plus pinch nutmeg)
- pinch salt and pepper
- 1 quart chicken broth make sure it is gluten free
- 1 egg
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil into a 10" cast iron skillet. Place the oven in the pan while it preheats.
- Mix the almond milk and the vinegar together and let sit.
- Mix the cornmeal, eggs, salt, baking soda, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, almond milk-vinegar mixture, and coconut oil together.
- Take the pan from the oven and make sure the oil is spread around the pan. Be careful, it will be very hot!
- Add the cornbread mixture to the skillet and cook at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before using. This step can be done a day ahead of time.
- Another step that can be made ahead of time is making croutons out of the gluten free bread. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven. You could do this at the same time as the cornbread, just be careful to watch the croutons so that they will not burn.
- Slice the gluten free bread into cubes and lay out on the pan with the parchment. You may need two pans, because you should have 6 cups of bread. Toss with the tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes, or until it is golden brown. For the dairy free version, you will use only these, and not the croutons from the boxed stuffing mix.
- Make the stuffing the day of serving, but it can be mixed and refrigerated during the day, then baked later. Just make sure it is at room temperature before baking. When you are ready to make the stuffing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the homemade croutons and seasoning pack from the Trader Joe's stuffing mix into a large bowl. Crumble the cornbread into the bowl. Add the sage and poultry seasoning and stir to mix the ingredients.
- Add the onion and celery to the melted vegan butter. Microwave for about 4 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened some. Add this to the cornbread-crouton mixture.
- Beat the egg and add some broth to it. Add the egg broth mixture and about a total of 3 3/4 cup broth to the stuffing mixture, stirring lightly until the broth is mixed in. Mixture will be wet, but it should not be soupy.
- Lightly spoon the mixture into a large sprayed dish so that it is about 3" thick, or you can use two pans. I used a deep dish 9x13, plus another medium sized casserole dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes to one hour. If it starts to get too brown on top, cover with foil until done. The bottom and top should be lightly browned.
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Just make sure to read them both carefully. You could certainly try adding sausage or sautéed mushrooms to this recipe, if that is something your family enjoys!
I hope the Thanksgiving prep goes well for everyone!
I love the simplicity of this tablescape! Is your eucalyptus real or artificial? Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thank you! It’s real 🙂