I was recently down visiting #thecrush’s family for American Thanksgiving, so thought I’d cook a little bit. I ended up doing more than just this recipe but really any cooking makes me happy. This is partially because cooking is fun / I can impress the family, and partially because the freeform, untrained way I cook just fundamentally annoys #thecrush. So all in all it’s worth it!

The standount “what the hell is he doing?!” recipe was definitely my spicy cranberry stuffing concoction. I didn’t manage to take pictures, but it worked out really well (I saved some of the broth to ensure the stuffing stayed moist while baked):

Ingredients

  • 1 package of bacon, lean
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1-1.5 cup celery
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 (4 ounce) jar jalapeno peppers
  • 1 (4 ounce) can green chile peppers
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)
  • 2 (14 ounce) packages cornbread stuffing mix
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Prep

  • Cook bacon til crispy
  • Drain bacon on towel
  • Crumble bacon
  • Chop celery, onion
  • Mince garlic
  • Dice jalapeno, green peppers, soak in honey
  • Toast pecans, walnuts (together, cinnamon/nutmeg/butter)
  • Mix stuffing per directions, add chicken stock, stir til moist
  • Cook stuffing til brown on top, 30-40 minutes (9×13 baking dish)
  • Cool stuffing, cut into small squares
  • Prep chicken broth and heat
  • Preheat oven to 375

Cooking

  • Melt butter in LARGE skillet over medium-high heat
  • Cook celery/garlic/onion until onion caramelizes
  • Add wine until heated, then cranberry/peppers
  • Cover til boiling
  • Remove from heat, add nuts/bacon

Stuffing Mix

  • Stuffing in bowl
  • Add ingredients
  • Add chicken broth to taste
  • Bake if necessary (too wet)

Conclusion

While I wouldn’t actually recommend using this recipe, it was alot of fun, tasted nom (everyone but #thecrush enjoyed it) and had everyone wondering what “that silly Canadian” was doing.

Good  times!