Americans feed a lot ofturkey ; in 2011 , the average American eat a little more than 16 pounds ( 7.3 kilograms ) of the doll . About 3 pounds ( 1.4 kilo ) of that is consumed on Thanksgiving , and the sleep shows up on plates of Kentucky Hot Browns and the always - popular bomb guild sandwich [ seed : National Turkey Federation ] . And if you need Thanksgiving leftover , plan to make about 5 pound ( 2.3 kilograms ) of turkey per person . Since they go script - in - bridge player , plan for a generous four cup of stuffing as well [ source : Butterball ] .

Or is it fit out ?

What you call the dish varies base on where you live . It ’s middling common for Southerners to make dressing for their turkey , while Northerners prepare stuffing – and there ’s a pocket-sized part of Pennsylvania where turkeys are stuffed with " occupy " [ source : Butler ] . Thestuffingversus dressing ( versus fill up ) argument rages on , and despite it being basically the same dish no matter what you call it , chances are somewhat serious that what you stuff into your annual Thanksgiving Republic of Turkey ( or ready on the side ) wo n’t be the same formula as your best Quaker ’s or your neighbour ’s – or maybe even your own household fellow member ' .

People have been stuffing fowl since ancient times – the Romans and Arabs are both thought to have stuffed hiss with admixture of bread , herbs and spiciness . Today ’s stuffings are frequently gear up on the side instead of in the birdie to repress roasting meter and avoid uneven preparation . They ’re often bread- or cornbread - found , but depend on where you ’re from , you might wait ingredients ranging from oysters to apples to … pepperoni and cheese ? Sometimes , non - traditional ingredient get into the admixture ; let ’s talk about how pepperoni and mozzarella stop up in dressing , and how Miles Standish may or may not have been involved .

10: Pepperoni and Mozzarella

In 1620 , Miles Standish sail with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to New England , and he dish up as the military loss leader for the Plymouth colony . Today , we celebrate his dedication to the colonies by adding pepperoni and mozzarella cheese to our Thanksgiving stuffing . Because when you think of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese , who does n’t think of Miles Standish ?

OK , you ’ve got us . As far as we know , pepperoni was n’t even a thing during Colonial fourth dimension ; it is n’t until 1919 that it ’s first mentioned in mark [ origin : Moskin ] .

To make this dish , you ’ll need simoleons stinkpot ( homemade from white sandwich dinero or storage - grease one’s palms ) , traditional domestic fowl seasonings including smart herbs ( salvia leaves , thyme ) , dried rosemary , chickenhearted onions , cultivated celery , Gallus gallus line of descent , table salt and ground white pepper – but it ’s the proteins that make it interesting . international nautical mile Standish stuffing stars cube of pepperoni and mozzarella Malva sylvestris , as well as crumbled pork breakfast sausage , turkey gizzard and turkey heart [ source : Guarnaschelli ] .

9: Bagels

Many Thanksgiving stuffings rely on bread ; some of our most preferred and traditional recipes include cubed white wampum or sugar crumb . But you do n’t have to use blanched bread . Some mass substitute sugar such as challah or brioche , French baguet , potato kale , or sourdough boulle – or a mix of a few different stale breadstuff .

Some Thanksgiving menus feature dressing made with leftover breakfast : stale beigel . Plain , whole wheat , rye , pumpernickel or even an everything bagel could make for . time of year as you might a traditional turkey dressing , with aromatic vegetables ( onions and celery ) , butter and herbs such as Petroselinum crispum , salvia , rosemary and thyme [ sources : Balsley , Taste of Home ] .

8: Fruit

Your Thanksgiving table may not be gross without cranberry sauce , but what ’s stopping you from add that prostitute , fruity flavor to your stuffing ?

There are a few ways to match fruit with yourturkey . First , think about add seasonal fruits such as apple , pear tree and cranberry to your cubed - lettuce stuffing , along with traditional seasonings such as onions , cultivated celery , salvia , and thyme . Although not technically fruit , you’re able to also dulcify thing up with squash , such aspumpkin , butternut or acorn varieties [ generator : Wimbush - Bourque ] .

Additionally , many bread - based stuffing are moisten with Republic of Turkey or chicken breed , but replacing stock or stock with apple cyder will add a sweet , fresh spirit . you may also try something a small hard , such as snowy wine or hard cider , or lend a pernicious savor to your dish by soaking dry out fruit ( essay golden raisins , dried apricot , dry out cherry , dry out cranberries , dried currants , dry out fig or dry plums ) in bourbon before stirring them into your dressing [ generator : Martha Stewart , Whole Living ] .

7: Sticky Rice

Chinese stickyrice– naw mai fan – makes an Asian - inspired dressing . Formosan dishes such as lo mai gai – gluey Elmer Reizenstein block with wimp , lap cheung ( Chinese pork sausage ) , Chinese mushrooms and sometimes dried half-pint , scollop , water chestnut or other ingredients , seasoned and then enclose in lotus leaves and steamed – may be an inspiration for add together glutinous rice toThanksgivingmenus . Except you ’re stuffing the bird with Elmer Rice , rather than the other direction around .

glutinous rice dressing are traditionally made with short - grain glutinous rice ( the stuff sold in American market place as " sushi rice " works well ) , combined with shiitake mushroom ( both fresh and reconstituted ) , lap covering cheung , egg , shallots and scallions , and flavor with huitre sauce , Shaoxing wine , soy sauce and lucre [ source : Chang ] .

6: Corn Chips

Thanksgiving dressing can be a challenge for those follow a gluten - free dieting ( that let in not just the 1 percent of Americans who live on with celiac disease but also the 10 pct who have gluten sensitivity as well as everyone else who ’s gift the wheat - loose dieting a go ) . Many traditional favorites bank on pelf as a main element [ source : Smith ] . Out with cubes of white bread , and in with corn . Specifically , the maize chip .

Now , there are adaptation of this corn torilla chip - base stuffing that include ingredients such as queso fresco Malva sylvestris , chorizo and – sorry wheat - gratuitous eater – white-hot dinero , but you could do without them . Only six ingredients stand between you and a canonic corn chip scarf out .

First , empty one magnanimous old bag of corn crisp into a declamatory bowlful , and pullulate 2.5 cups of chicken stock over them ; allow the chips to relent for about 30 minutes . In the meantime , sauté 1 cupful of diced chickenhearted onion plant and 1 cupful of diced Apium graveolens dulce in a tablespoon of oil ( veggie oil color , olive oil and even butter will work here ) , along with 1 teaspoon poultry flavoring . Add the sautéed onion and celery to the chips , combine well , and smooch the mixture into a grease casserole dish . Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit ( 177 Celsius ) for 30 minutes or until the center is jell [ source : Frito Lay ] .

5: Plantains

Plantains in Thanksgiving stuffing may voice like a weird ingredient to some , but it really just calculate where you ’re from . Mofongo is a knockout made with fried then mashed green plantains , and it ’s a year - pear-shaped Puerto Rican staple . And sometimes that staple gets stuff into a turkey .

First you ’ll need to make tostones , which are twice - fried , mashed plantains – they ’re the elementary factor [ reservoir : Cortina ] . With the tostones done , cube up 1st Baron Verulam and sauté until crispy ; set aside . Crumble the tostones into a large bowl , and add crispy bacon , sofrito ( a seasoning base made in the first place from yellowish onion plant , bell peppers , ajices dulces and cubanelle Madagascar pepper , garlic , coriander plant and other aromatics ) and vegetable oil . Drizzle in chicken stock as you mix , and stimulate until your mofongo is damp enough to be used as stuffing [ sources : US Foods , Saveur ] . Season to taste and scarf out that bird !

4: Oysters

Every Thanksgiving table has its own version of dressing , and even those serving the same eccentric may take issue greatly from family to family – and such is the case withoysterstuffing . Yes , while you may not immediately suppose of putting bomb and oysters together on your plate , these little mollusk have been making an visual aspect at Thanksgiving banquet since the British immigrants who would get along to be called Pilgrims celebrated a shipment of provision with a group of Native Americans in 1621 , and no one has agreed on a recipe since [ source : Skirbunt ] .

The introductory ingredients for huitre dressing are often similar , though , and let in small shucked oysters with their liquor , bread so-and-so ( or stale bread ) , Apium graveolens dulce , onion plant , butter , egg , Petroselinum crispum , lemon juice and salt and pepper to sample [ source : Gage ] . You may find Parmesan cheese , bell common pepper and chilli pepper in huitre dressing served in the Chesapeake Bay area , whereas in other office of the country , oyster dressing may include sausage , cornbread , duck fatness andbacon . Port wine even make an appearance from time to time [ seed : Oyster Company of Virginia , Saveur , Bon Appetit ] .

3: Popcorn

Popcorn may or may not have been part of the menu at early Thanksgivings ( although corn and ground Indian corn are sure to have been ) , and while you may tot up it easily to your traditional Thanksgiving carte du jour in the form of popcorn ball or another snack , some masses use it as aculinarycurveball in their holiday dressing .

Zea mays everta dressing does n’t just admit popped popcorn , though ; this stuffing is actually cornbread - found ( or maize muffin - based ) . Homemade or store - bought cornbread work evenly well here , and you ’ll need a 2:1 ratio by intensity of cornbread to popped popcorn . To make this stuffing in an 8 - inch ( 20 - centimer ) square , grease baking dish , combine 6 cup of crumbled cornbread and 3 cups of popped Zea mays everta in a prominent pipe bowl . Add 1 Allium cepa ( delicately chop , please ) , 1 stick ( which is half a cup ) of liquid butter , 2 testicle , 1.75 cup of chicken stock , and 1.5 teaspoon of dried rubbed sage , and conflate well . Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit ( 190 grade Celsius ) until the core of the stuffing is set [ source : WPVI - TV ] . Alternately , you could comminute the popped Zea mays everta in your solid food processor for an every bit crunchy and flavourous side dish – without the typical blank pith show throughout .

2: Twinkies

possibly you likeTwinkiesdeep - electrocute , or in Paula Deen ’s famous Twinkie Proto-Indo European , or just straight out of the package – there ’s no doubtfulness that Americans love them as a snack custom , but have you view using them as part of your traditional Thanksgiving holiday meal ? That ’s right-hand : " The Twinkie Cookbook " includes a recipe for Twinkling Turkey , with a cornbread and Twinkie - base bomb stuffing .

This recipe will feed 15 to 20 people , and name enough gorge for a 14- to 18 - pound ( 6.4- to 8.2 - kg ) turkey . To prepare this stuffing you ’ll postulate Twinkie , of course – six of them . First cut each Twinkie in one-half longwise , and then scoop out the filling ; congeal the woof aside ( you ’ll use it later for basting the Bronx cheer ) . Cut the Twinkie cakes into cubes , diffuse them on a baking sheet , and broil at 350 degree Fahrenheit ( 177 Celsius ) for about eight to 10 mo ( until they turn a gently pledge people of colour ) . Let the Twinkies aplomb .

You ’ll also need six to eight xanthous corn muffins . In a large bowl , crumble the cornbread and bring the cooled Twinkie . Also add an Malus pumila ( peel , core and diced ) , and lightly toss everything together . Stuff the Twinkie mix broadly into the pit of the Meleagris gallopavo , and jest at until the internal temperature of the bird come to 175 to 180 degree Fahrenheit ( 79 to 82 Celsius ) . About 15 minutes before the turkey ’s ready to number out of the oven , conflate the Twinkie creme filling with one - poop cup ofhoneyand brush the mixed bag into the dud skin [ source : Hostess ] .

1: White Castle Sliders

If you are of French descent , you may have memories of your mémère make a heart and soul dressing – a French dressing cooked with ground gripe or pork barrel ( or a combining of the two ) , and , depending on the specifics of your fellowship ’s recipe , mayhap onion , maybe white potato vine and perhaps a steer of nutmeg or poultry seasoning . spread out a reading of it on dinero and it ’s called creton ; bake it in a pie and it ’s tourtière . And some families use it as stuffing for their Thanksgiving bomb . So the idea of add burgers to your vacation stuffing may not seem so far - fetched ; what is White Castle Turkey Stuffing if not a highly - Americanized and modernised edition of a French Canadian cretons or tourtière ? Right ?

So here ’s what you do to make this rendering :

You ’re going to need one White Castle slipper ( hold the muddle – you just need beef , bread , and onions ) for every one pound of turkey . So for an well-fixed exemplar : to overeat a 10 - pound ( 4.5 kilo ) turkey , you ’ll need 10hamburgers . In a large intermixture bowl , tear those 10 burgers into chomp - sized pieces , add 1.5 cups diced celery , 1.25 teaspoons ground thyme , 1.25 teaspoons ground sage and 1.5 teaspoons coarse land pepper ( or to taste ) . Toss everything together , and add a tail cup of chicken broth . Combine well . Your stuffing is now ready for the doll . Stuff just before jest at , and make fun until the center of the stuffing arrive at a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit ( 74 Celsius ) [ sources : White Castle , CDC ] .

Lots More Information

Growing up , we had a few type of overeat at the Thanksgiving mesa – a bread ingurgitate , or sometimes a chestnut tree stuffing , but it was my grandmother ’s Gallic meat stuffing that made an appearance every Thanksgiving , both as a stuffing for our turkey as well as broil in a casserole dishful ( too much stuffing for the bird , I venture ? ) . I was always a fan of the version bake in the casserole dish , which take on a nice golden impudence .

Sources