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I have not one, but TWO slow-cookers going with stock…my 5 quart one has the turkey stock working, and my smaller 3.5 quart one has vegetable stock going.  The veggie stock will be used as part of the brine for the Good Eats Roast Turkey.  I usually just use Better Than Bouillon base for this, but I had enough stuph on hand to make a slow-cooker veggie stock…so why not?

I also made a loaf of challah bread in the bread machine…the Stuffing Muffins recipe recommends that kind of bread, and it also says that it needs to be stale.  I didn’t want to spend the money on a gorgeous braided loaf, when I knew I was gonna let it sit and get stale, and then rip it up to make stuffing, so I found a bread machine recipe that allowed for baking in the machine…who cares how pretty it looks if you’re just gonna rip it up?

Here is the veggie stock recipe for the slow-cooker…I got it from the Slow Cooker Ready & Waiting Cookbook by Rick Rodgers.  That’s where I got the idea for the turkey stock, too.  It’s a great book for you slow-cooker fans!

2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, with leaves, chopped
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half horizontally
4 parsley sprigs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 quarts water

Put it all into a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker, and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours, or on HIGH for 3-3 1/2 hours. Strain and let cool, use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze. Makes about 1-1/2 quarts.

If you have a bread machine, and want to make the challah for the Stuffing Muffins, here is the recipe. It is from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. A must-have book for anyone who owns a bread machine, the recipes are excellent!  This is for a 1 1/2 pound loaf, which should be big enough for the Stuffing Muffins recipe.

3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Put it all in the bread pan of the machine, in the order listed. If your machine wants you to put the yeast in first, reverse the sequence. Set machine to the regular white bread setting, 1 1/2 pound loaf, medium crust, press START.

If per chance you are NOT going to rip this up for stuffing, you can sprinkle on some sesame or poppy seeds when the third rising starts in the machine. Otherwise, just let it rip.

I have made stuffings with cornbread in the past, and they are tasty. Julia Child says that the cornbread recipe on the box of cornmeal, such as that of Quaker brand, is perfectly fine. It’s easy and cheap to make, way cheaper than buying pre-made cornbread. But in case you want a homemade version, I will be posting Julia’s recipe here later today.

So that’s what I have done so far for Turkey Day. The bird itself is still in the chest cooler, thawing slowing in its water and ice. I have no room in the fridge for it at the moment, but I’ve used the cooler method for the past few years now, and it works. As long as the turkey is kept in ice water at all times, at 40 degrees or less, it’s all good.

Stay tuned for more! :D