Turkey and Turkey Dressing (or stuffing if you like)

Turkey -

Clean out the bird, and wash it out and dry it off with paper towels.  Cut off any icky fat.  Stuff both ends with dressing.  Use the plastic or metal things to hook the legs back in.  The other end will need a turkey skewer to close it back up.  Rub the bird with butter and lay on a huge piece (3-4 feet square) of aluminum foil.  Put the breast side down.  Fold the foil up and around the bird.  Put an extra thickness around the wings.  Cover up completely, but don't seal.  Cook at 450 degrees for 15 minutes per pound.

Dressing -

1 quart diced celery
1 c. finely chopped onion
1 c. butter or margarine
4 quarts (firmly packed)  bread crumbs (cubed or broken into pieces) - use 3-4 day old bread
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups broth, milk, or water

Cook celery and onion in butter or margarine over low heat, stirring occasionally until onion is tender, but not browned.  If you have people (Roger D and Zac) who can't stand the "crunch" of the onion/celery, they can be ground up finely in a food processor, so you don't have anything but the taste.

Meanwhile, toss together the bread cubes and seasonings.  Add the celery and onion and butter mixture, and toss lightly to blend further.

Pour the broth, milk or water over the surface of the bread mixture, tossing lightly.

Add more seasonings if desired.  Makes enough stuffing for a 14-18 pound turkey.

We usually stuff both ends of the turkey, and put the extra stuffing in a pan to cook (cover with foil) , and when carving the turkey, we pull out the stuffing from the turkey, and mix it in with the "pan" stuffing.

This is the dressing/stuffing that my mom has always fixed since I was a little girl.  It is my FAVORITE part of the Thanksgiving meal.