Stuffing doesn't have to be the way grandma made it

A little bit of dried sage and poultry seasoning goes a long way with me, which is why I never liked my family's Thanksgiving stuffing. All I could taste in this soggy mash was that overpowering flavor that weighed heavily on our turkey dinner. But that's the way grandma made stuffing, so that's what we ate.

Only as an adult did I discover that stuffing needn't taste like ground supermarket sage. And that stuffing needn't be wet dead weight.

Now I like stuffing, and I look forward to the annual barrage of stuffing recipes that usually come in cooking magazines' November issues. This year was a bumper crop.

RECIPES

Whole Wheat Stuffing with Turkey Sausage

8 slices whole-wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (7 to 8 cups)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 link (8 ounces) Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

11/4 cups chicken stock

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh fl at-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Arrange bread on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until dried out, about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown sausage, breaking up meat with wooden spatula, for 4 minutes. Stir in celery, garlic, and onion. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.

Combine bread, sausage-vegetable mixture, stock, egg, parsley, thyme and sage in a large bowl. Transfer stuffing to an 11-inch oval baking dish. Cover with parchment-lined foil or foil sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn on broiler. Uncover stuffing, and broil 9 to 10 inches from heat source until top is golden brown and crunchy, about 1 minute. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, November, 2010

Apple-Fennel Stuffing

1 stick butter, plus more for baking dish

2 cups diced onion

2 cups diced fennel bulb

1 cup chopped apples

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon minced sage

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

Salt and pepper

3 cups turkey or chicken broth

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

16 cups cubed stale potato bread

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, apples, cranberries, sage, and thyme and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Beat eggs with parsley in a large bowl. Add cubed bread. Pour vegetable-broth mixture in bowl and toss. Transfer mixture to a buttered baking dish and dot with butter. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 . Uncover and bake until golden, about 30 more minutes.

Yield: 10-12 servings Source: Food Network Magazine, November 2010