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Momma used to say that some folks were as full of cr@p as a Christmas turkey. I never understood why she would say that until I asked her how to make stuffing. Essentially, stuffing is a bunch of cr@p in a pan. You can put almost anything in it you want.

The real key to good stuffing is that it should be runny when it goes into the oven. Stick your hands down in it. When you lift them out, the stuffing should run through your fingers like mud. If it starts out dry, it will end up dry. You can always cook it a bit longer if it's too moist, but you can't add moisture to it.

Momma (and mine) basic stuffing goes like this. (BTW, I use a big pan 'cause my family likes stuffing. I use one of those big aluminium pans about 14 x 18 x 6 inches. If the whole family is there, I may just use an aluminum broiler pan)

- Cook up enough corn bread to fill your pan about half full when crumbled. Add a little dry white bread if you like. Not necessary, but some folks think it is.
- Crack a few eggs into it. Maybe three or four for a big pan. Don't worry about the yokes, they'll break up when you mix it up later.
- Add a couple of cans of chicken broth and two or three cans of cream of whatever. (cream of chicken, mushroom, onion, whatever sounds good to you, I don't think I'd use cream of broccoli but that's up to you)

That's the basic recipe. Cornbread, broth, eggs, cream of whatever soup. After that, it's personal taste. You could:

- Add some celery, diced onions, what ever you want. Mushrooms work too. You can saute 'em if you like. I usually don't bother, they'll cook enough later. I like to add red or yellow peppers. Never green.
- A can of whole kernel corn and/or some chopped waterchestnuts will give a nice crunch. Some like 'em, some don't. Chopped nuts work too.
- Fry up some pork sausage, at least a pound, maybe two. crumble it in. (if you use sage sausage, you might wish to skip the sage spice). I like the hot sausage myself.
- Spices. Pepper, salt, sage, thyme, or just use poultry seasoning. What ever you feel like.
- Throw in some oysters if you like.
- By this time your pan should be getting pretty full, if not, add some more stuff.

Now stick your hands down into. Stir all that stuff up. Let it run through your fingers. Have fun, like making mud pies. When it has the consistency of mud, it's ready to bake. If it's too thin, add some cornbread or more stuff. If it's too dry, add some more whatever soup.

Put it in a 350-375 oven. After about an hour, check it with a tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it's ready.

Making stuffing is easy. Just remember what Momma said about some folks, whatever you feel like put it in (within reason, of course) and make sure it's like mud when it goes in the oven.