Stuffing Recipe

My Bestie Tracy sent this to me to use for my upcoming Thanksgiving meal...will rate it when I'm done..see how bad I screw it up :)

3/4 cup butter or margarine (tastes great either way...depends on which you prefer!)
1 1/2 cup chopped celery with leaves (I am not a fan...so I usually do one stalk finely chopped...because the flavor is amazing, or use celery salt...just not too much)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
9 cups soft bread cubes - I usually make this half white and half wheat bread...cheap stuff OR I go all out and find some artsy bread to mix with some normal! My mother in law saves bread heels and bits all year and makes it with that...and there can be quite the variety of bread...but YUMMY none the less
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp pepper

I always put a little extra butter...bread and seasonings (1 cup butter or margarine) I am a huge fan of sage and thyme...so more of it!

So...melt the butter in a large skillet (largest you have) or a deep dutch oven style pan (this is best so you can just take it from stovetop to oven...) over medium high heat...cook celery and onion about 2 minutes in the butter til they are soft...and this is where I vary...Betty says remove from heat and mix in a bowl...I just leave it on the heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients, starting with the seasonings so they can sweat out a little...and then the bread. You want there to be enough bread that everything gets coated...but not soggy... this recipe serves 5....but if you add the extra butter and bread you can serve an army...I usually can serve our whole family at Thanksgiving. I also double the recipe for the BIG crowd!!

If you have it in a dutch oven...just add a 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup of the drippings from your turkey OR some broth (chicken or turkey), you want to make it seem as if it were in the turkey...so wet but not too wet unless everyone really likes it the way it comes out of the turkey...then you could add more broth.. and then put it in the oven at 350 until it is golden brown and crunchy on top...if everyone likes the stuffing to TASTE like it came from the turkey...you can add more broth before putting it in the oven...if people like the more crispy/crunchy dressing...then put it in a 13x9 cake pan (grease it first) and then it will come out a little crunchier. I tend to make this about a half hour before the turkey comes out of the oven...while it is resting...it cooks in the oven with whatever else needs to cook last minute! You can also do this in the CROCKPOT...just prep it all on the stove...put it in your crockpot on low for 4-6 hours! I would add about 1 cup of broth to it if you are doing it that way...again, use your better judgement, you want it wet, not sopping wet! YUMMY! I want to eat Thanksgiving at YOUR place. Lynn doesn't want turkey...although I may still make a turkey with the fixings that weekend after she's gone! Tim has his heart set on one!