A HARTE APPETITE: DRESSING FOR SUCCESS: THERE ARE MANY VARIETIES IN MAKING THIS THANKSGIVING STAPLE

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Wednesday, November 24, 1999

Thanksgiving is a time for stuffing! I don't mean overeating, though that is undeniably true. Nutritionists calculate that the typical Thanksgiving meal weighs in at over 2,500 calories and 130 grams of fat, or roughly the equivalent of five Big Macs. (No wonder Adam Sandler sings, "Turkey turkey doo and turkey turkey dap, I eat that turkey, then I take a nap.") No, the stuffing I'm referring to is the kind that goes inside the turkey and which for many of us constitutes the indispensable essence of the holiday. I'd sooner do without cranberries, pumpkin pie or even the turkey itself than forego the stuffing. To me, one of the nice things about Thanksgiving is that it is a day when there is no dilemma posed by the question irritatingly repeated some years ago in those Stove Top commercials. When asked, "Stuffing or potatoes?" on Thanksgiving Day, it is perfectly acceptable to answer with a resounding, "Both!" But if I had to choose, I'd opt for the stuffing (or maybe for Pennsylvania Dutch stuffing, which is made with mashed potatoes). I can relate fully to the little boy immortalized in the previous edition of the Joy of Cooking who at the holiday table announced, "No more turkey, but I'd like another helping of that bread he ate." Stuffing doesn't have to be based on bread, of course. It can be grounded on other starches such as grains like rice, couscous or quinoa, or even, as noted above, on mashed potatoes. Among the stranger recipes I've seen is one based on White Castle hamburgers. My sister has tried it and says it is good, but it seems like a waste of a perfectly good sandwich to me.

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