Here is what we had for Thanksgiving dinner!

Quick, think about Thanksgiving dinner…. what three items come to mind first?

For both of us, it was turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. So I decided to stick with the winners and not make too much food.  I adapted this from the Zojirushi website and a couple of different stuffing-loaf recipes I found. This turned out to be a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas feast for two because you get all the flavors of the season with minimal cleanup and leftovers that can be stored in one container rather than cluttering the fridge with a bunch of separate containers. It would also be a great way to use up some leftover turkey.

Ingredients:
turkey, meat from 2 thighs, cubed
4 Tbs olive oil or butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp vegesal or salt
pepper to taste
1 apple, diced
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten
1 package cornbread stuffing, bread cube stuffing or about 1 loaf of dry, cubed bread

Process:
saute onion and celery until onion is transparent. Add seasonings and remove from heat. Put turkey and stuffing or bread into a large mixing bowl. Heat broth and stir into stuffing mixture, add eggs, then sauted vegies and the apple, stirring after each addition.

Bake:
Pour into 2 qt. casserole and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes until top is browned. I poured the whole thing into my Zojirushi bread machine and used the meatloaf setting, time: 110, with the crust setting set to “dark.” Makes 6-8 servings. Serve slices with gravy or a scoop of cranberry sauce on top.

Tips:
I cooked two turkey thighs in the crockpot the day before. and poured the juice into a glass measuring cup and kept both in the refrigerator until I was ready to make the loaf. Then I added enough broth to the juice to make 2 cups. You could use leftover turkey or breast meat, if you prefer. You could add fresh sage or  a 1/2 cup of parsley, or swap dried cherries, dried cranberries or chestnuts for the apple.

Verdict:

We both thought this was fantastic and will definitely be making it again!