Turkey Day in May

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The big attraction is all the food that we have to eat! Unfortunately, with it being May, there's still 6 months until Turkey Day.

As such, my friend and I decided that we'd throw a Turkey Day in May party yesterday for my roommate (who LOVES turkey) and the rest of our friends. We decided instead of doing a traditional Turkey Feast, we'd put a Spring/Summer spin on a few of the dishes.

This was a day of firsts for me. It was my first time preparing a dish for a turkey dinner and the first time that I've carved a turkey.

Our menu for the day was simple:

• Roast Turkey
• Grilled Seasoned Potato Wedges
• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Braised Carrots
• Bacon & Bourbon Stuffing
• Romaine Lettuce Salad
• Strawberry Roubarb Pie

Today, I'm going to focus on the dish that I was in charge of, the Bacon & Bourbon Stuffing.

Bacon & Bourbon Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 LB thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 loaf pumpernickle bread, lightly toasted & cubed
• 1/2 loaf dark rye bread, lightly toasted & cubed
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1-1/2 Tbsp dried sage leaves
• 1 Quart chicken stock (more as needed)
• 1/2 cup bourbon whiskey

Directions:

1. Begin by toasting all your bread and cubing it.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve all bacon grease left in the pan in a bowl.
4. In the same skillet, melt the butter over Medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic and rosemary to the pan and cook until the onions are soft. Add the reserved bacon fat.
5. Place the bread cubes into a large bowl. Add the eggs, thyme, sage and bacon. Toss to mix. Add the onion mixture and mix evenly again.
6. Pour the bourbon and chicken stock into a separate bowl and stir. Add the mixture to the bread bowl and mix with your hands. Keep adding chicken stock until you reach the desired consistency.
7. Place the stuffing into the baking pan and bake for about 1 hour. It will be ready when a knife stuck into the center comes out clean. You can increase the bake time to produce a crispier top.

Well, that's the recipe for today! If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, please let me know!