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Catherine Castle Holiday Blog, Finger Lakes book settings, Gluten-free recipe, Home for the Holidays, Katie O'Boyle, Mushroom-Garden Stuffing, Waking Up to Love
Can you say, YUMM? This delicious recipe, from author Katie O’Boyle, has me ready to run to the store, get the ingredients, and make it tonight. Who cares about the turkey!
Family-favorite Stuffing for Christmas Dinner
For author Katie O’Boyle, the family Christmas dinner is a simple and joyful celebration. Four people gather in Seneca Falls—Katie’s sister, her brother-in-law (the cook!), their ninety-three-year-old friend John, and Katie. John brings wine, Katie brings Mushroom Garden Stuffing, and the cook does the rest: golden-roasted turkey breast, two kinds of potatoes, green beans, peas, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Healthy and delicious! Dessert features a pie and may include a few help-yourself treats like cashews, chocolates, and cookies from a holiday Cookie Walk.
Mushroom Garden Stuffing is a long-time favorite. The two main ingredients, apples and celery, please every palate. This recipe works just as well with margarine instead of butter and with any kind of bread.
Katie bakes it at home in a 3-quart oval baking dish, then warms it 15-20 minutes before serving.
Mushroom Garden Stuffing
(gluten-free)
4-6 Tbsp. butter
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
3 cups celery, chopped
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups crisp apple (such as McIntosh), chopped
4 cups gluten-free cornbread, cubed in 1-inch pieces
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Bake the cornbread ahead and allow to cool completely (may be baked a day ahead).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Heat 4 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Clean and chop the onion and celery. Add to skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is transparent and mixture begins to brown. Then transfer to a large bowl.
Clean and slice the mushrooms and remove moisture with paper towels. Add more butter to the skillet as needed. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with the sage, thyme, and pepper. Stir occasionally to incorporate the seasonings and insure the mushrooms brown evenly.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the apple. Add to bowl with celery and onion. When the mushrooms have browned, transfer to bowl with onion, celery, and apple. Mix to combine.
“Toast” the bread cubes in the skillet, in batches, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon so the bread picks up any leftover butter and herbs. Add to bowl. Toss gently to combine.
Butter or grease the casserole dish. Add contents of bowl. Bake covered 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes more or until top begins to brown.
Tips from Katie: to accommodate my arthritis, I sometimes buy pre-chopped onion and celery and pre-sliced mushrooms, or I prepare the vegetables the night before. If I’m not up to baking cornbread from scratch, I use Glutino Gluten-free Pantry Yankee Cornbread mix and follows package directions.
About the Author
Katie O’Boyle is the author of the Lakeside Porches series of contemporary romances from Soul Mate Publishing. She grew up in Seneca Falls in the heart of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. Her books are set in the fictitious Finger Lakes town of Tompkins Falls.
Katie’s latest release, Waking Up To Love, features a Christmas wedding in Cornwall. Traditional chestnut stuffing is on the buffet, along with a golden-roasted bird, carvery roasts, gravy, fruit sauces, abundant vegetables, and figgy pudding.
For more information about Katie and her books: http://www.katieoboyle.com
To read more about Katie on this blog check out her latest posts Planning A Cornish Wedding
Catherine Castle 