Posted on 11/21/2024 9:24:17 AM PST by Red Badger
NATIONAL STUFFING DAY
November 21st is an ideal day for National Stuffing Day with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Since we are already thinking about the delicious turkey stuffing that is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner.
Some cooks choose to stuff the bird with crusts of bread, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Others prefer to prepare a similar dish alongside the turkey using the drippings to moisten the dish. Either way, each preparation is a personal preference or family tradition. The difference is the first is called a stuffing, but the latter is referred to as a dressing.
The usual turkey stuffing consists of bread cubes or crumbs combined with onions, celery, salt, and pepper. Further spices and herbs such as summer savory, sage, or poultry seasoning add flavor and variety. Other recipes add sausage, hamburger, tofu, oysters, egg, rice, apple, raisins, or other dried fruits.
The first known documented stuffing recipes appeared in the Roman cookbook, Apicius “De Re Coquinaria.” Most of the stuffing recipes in this cookbook included vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (an old cereal). Some recipes also included chopped liver and other organ meat.
In addition to stuffing the body cavity of poultry and fish, various cuts of meat are often stuffed once deboned and creating a pouch or cutting a slit in them. A few examples of other meats frequently stuffed include pork chops, meatloaf, meatballs, chicken breast, lamb chops, and beef tenderloin.
Stuffing isn't limited to the butcher block. Vegetables are excellent containers for stuffing. Peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and cabbage are just a few of the shapely veggies that make stuffing a fabulous part of your meals.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalStuffingDay
Who makes the best stuffing in your family? Some families debate this question and never settle the question. That's why they end up with multiple versions on the table at the big meal. No one complains, though! How do you like your stuffing? Challenge yourself to try a new recipe. See if you can get the family to agree to breaking with tradition. Better get in the kitchen and test those stuffing recipes before the big day. Give your stuffing some holiday flair with this classic stuffing recipe. Use #NationalStuffingDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL STUFFING DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar® continues researching the origins of this food holiday.
Stuffing FAQ
Q. What is the best bread to use when making stuffing?
A. Stale white bread is the best bread to make stuffing. Its fluffy porousness absorbs all the unctuous juices and savory herbs producing a stuffing that allows the ingredients to meld for outstanding flavor.
Q. Why does the bread need to be stale or dry?
A. Dry bread absorbs more flavor and holds up better when the juices are added. Fresh bread will turn to mush when the wet ingredients are added.
Q. How can I quickly dry my bread to make stuffing?
A. If you forgot to dry the bread a few days before making homemade stuffing, don't fret. There are a couple of ways to get that bread ready.
First, cube the bread so more surface area is exposed to the air.
Overnight:
Place bread cubes in a basket or on a baking sheet and cover with paper towels or cheesecloth. Place in a warm area and leave out overnight.
Oven method:
Heat oven to 250°F and place baking sheet in the oven uncovered. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
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Notable Birthdays for November 21
Joseph Plumb Martin (1760-1850) - Soldier in the Connecticut Militia and Continental Army who became a 23-year-old Sergeant.
William Beaumont (1785-1853) - Army surgeon who became known as the Father of Gastric Physiology.
Hetty Green (1834-1916) - Considered the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age who gained the name the Witch of Wall Street.
Tom Horn (1860-1903) - Gunfighter and outlaw.
Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969) - Saxophonist credited with bringing the saxophone into mainstream jazz.
Buck Ram (1907-1991) - Songwriter and music producer who is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Revaz Dogonadze (1931-1985) - A founder of Quantum electrochemistry.
Lewis Binford (1931-2011) - Archaeologist considered to be one of most influential archaeologists of the 20th century.
Jean Shepard (1933-2016) - Considered to be one of the first female country music artists.
Harold Ramis (1944-2014) - Actor remembered for his role as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters.
Vincent Di Fate (1945-Still Living) - Artist who specialized in fantasy, science fiction and realistic space art.
Goldie Hawn (1945-Still Living) - Academy Award winning actress known for her roles in Overboard, The Banger Sisters, and The Christmas Chronicles.
George Zimmer (1948-Still Living) - Founder of the Men's Warehouse.
Troy Aikman (1966-Still Living) - Former NFL quarterback.
Alton Mason (1997-Still Living) - The first black male to model for Chanel.
Memorable Events for November 21
1620 - Plymouth settlers sign the Mayflower Compact.
1654 - Black free slave Richard Johnson is granted 550 acres in Virginia.
1787 - Andrew Jackson admitted to the bar at the age of 20.
1789 - North Carolina becomes the 12th state to join the union.
1817 - US soldiers attack Miccosukee Tribe in GA, which later becomes known as the First Seminole War.
1861 - President Jefferson Davis appoints Judah Benjamin as Secretary of War.
1877 - Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph.
1922 - Rebecca Latimer Felton becomes the first female US Senator (Georgia).
1934 - NY Yankees buy Joe DiMaggio.
1945 - The United Auto Workers go on strike against GM for a 30% raise.
1946 - President Truman becomes the first to travel in a submarine.
1952 - The first stamp in two colors is introduced.
1959 - Vice President Richard Nixon (piano) plays a duet with Jack Benny (violin).
1970 - The U.S. Army and Air Force raid the Sơn Tây (Vietnam) POW camp in an attempt to free American prisoners.
1973 - The attorney for President Nixon reveals the presence of an 18½ minute gap in the Watergate tape recording.
1974 - Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act after President Gerald Ford vetoed the Act.
1985 - Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying for Israel.
1980 - Who Shot J.R.? (Dallas) airs.
1986 - Oliver North and his secretary start to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran-Contra affair.
1989 - President George H. W. Bush bans smoking on most domestic flights.
We’re celebrating that on November 28th this year. :)
Cornbread dressing y’all!
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