In honor of my Gram’s birthday this week and with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I thought I’d share one of her recipes, which is probably our family’s absolute favorite.  When it comes to stuffing, we all know the debate of in or out of the turkey, well Gram solved  the debate in the best way possible – stuffing muffins.  She whips up her famous stuffing and then bakes them in individual muffin cups.  Why is this so amazing?  Because it gets crunchy on the outside while staying fluffy and perfect on the inside.  Who doesn’t love that?

Gram has now passed the torch of stuffin’ muffins over to me, and Cowboy and I are expected to show up at the holidays pans in hands.  Even Cowboy’s sister is a convert.

The Recipe: Trude’s Stuffin Muffins (makes 12)

The Source: My Farmtastic Life

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of white bread
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 6 to 8 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 to 4 Tbsp. water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. The night before, lay bread out on cookie sheets for it to get stale and crusty over night.  (If you have cats who aren’t supposed to get on the counter, but let’s be honest we all know the truth, cover the cookie sheets with clean dish towels. No judgement here!)

   

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Cut bread into half-inch cubes.  Place into a large bowl for mixing.  I use a large pot.

   

4. Add in bell pepper, celery, onion, salt and pepper.  Gently toss together.  This is where the fluctuations in measurements start to come in, as it really is by feel and what you like.

   

   

5. Add about half of the butter and water.  You won’t want to add it all just yet.  Using your hands start blending it together, like your are working dough.  Keep working it and add the remaining butter and water if needed, until the mixture can be formed into muffin sized balls that will hold together.

   

6. Place stuffin’ muffins into a muffin pan.  You should have 12 muffins, perfect for one pan.  You won’t need to grease the pan, due to the butter in the muffins.

   

   

7. Cover with tinfoil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for five minutes.  Spoon each muffin out of the pan and serve with your favorite gravy.

   

   

Farmtastic Notes:

• We usually double this recipe for family gatherings.  We plan on at least 2 muffin per guests.  Of course you can always make more as they are great as leftovers.
• If you have leftovers, wrap muffins in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe, so give it a try and share your thoughts.