Sausage Stuffed Stuffing

I spent much of Saturday wrapping Christmas gifts in front of the TV and my favorite channel just happened to be on. The topic of the day was Thanksgiving! One of the shows featured the following recipe that could be used for an appetizer or for the main dressing course--I can't wait to try this out!

Ingredients
8-ounce pack spicy sausage (I think I will use mild)
2 cups canola oil, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups chicken stock
1 (6-ounce) box chicken flavored bread stuffing mix (made according to package instructions)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped scallions

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drop dime-sized dollops of sausage into the pan. Cook until golden brown, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.

After removing sausage add a 1/4 cup of canola oil to the pan and stir in 1/2 cup of flour. Stir to create a roux, and cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring while you pour and let simmer, stirring frequently, until it thickens, approximately 6 to 8 minutes This is your dipping sauce.

In a separate saucepan heat 2 cups of canola oil on medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the stuffing, parsley, thyme, and scallions and mix together. Take quarter-sized or 1 tablespoon of stuffing mix and wrap it around the individual sausage balls.

Cover the sausage completely and set aside

Once all of the sausage balls have been coated in stuffing, dredge them in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. When all the balls are lightly coated in flour, carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the oil, to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

NOTE - during the show, they had a cranberry sauce that they dipped them in instead of the gravy. Also, they suggested dredging the stuffing balls once cooked into the gravy and serving - I like the idea of serving them fried and dipping or drizzling gravy or cranberry sauce on them...

Either way - Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Where is my belly button?

I love my girlfriends! BUT, there are many things they never told me about pregnancy. I have been so lucky to have had a fairly easy pregnancy with few symptoms (with the exception of that itch that wouldn't go away for 5 weeks.) My migraines are non-existent now! So - here are some funny things that I have noticed during this pregnancy:

1. Your belly button will dissapear. (Can someone tell me if it comes back?)
2. People are so much nicer when you are pregnant! Even the person who works down the hall who would never say, "hello" will suddenly be very interested in your pregnancy, due date, and sex of the baby. Complete strangers will run ahead of you to open a door. People smile at you a lot, too--especially if you tell them this is your first baby.
3. I had always heard about cravings, but didn't really understand. You will crave things that you have never craved before - or that you have not eaten in years! Green onions anyone?
4. Feeling the baby move throughout the day is so incredible! I wish I could explain it. It's like I have my little buddy with me all the time - he goes everywhere I go and is safe and sound.
5. You will experience one day out of every few weeks/months where everything seems to be going great and then - BOOM - the tears start and before long you are sobbing and don't know why.
6. There will come a point when you cannot remove your wedding band/engagement ring. It was hard not to freak out. My recommendation is to just use a lot of soap and water to remove them and then buy a larger fake ring to wear until the baby comes.
7. Heartburn. OUCH! I had not experienced heartburn before, but it is one of the most uncomfortable feelings I have ever had. I now carry TUMS everywhere I go.
8. Colace is also a necessity - that's all I am going to say.

So these are some of the things that I wish I had known - but I guess I really had to experience on my own. I will add more if I think of anything else - and please, if you have been pregnant, feel free to add to the list, too!

What happened to Thanksgiving?

..."We just kind of skipped over it this year..."

Believe it or not, that is the response I got at so many retail stores this past weekend as I was shopping for Thanksgiving things. I could not believe my eyes/ears as I drove from store to store and saw tiny corners with minimal thanksgiving-themed stuff (World Market, Target, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and even the Dollar General!) Now don't get me wrong, I love, love, love Christmas! BUT, Thanksgiving is 2.5 weeks away. Christmas is 6.5 weeks away. Yet, there were rows and rows and rows of cute Christmas stuff in each of the stores I visited.

Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday, and I love preparing for it. I love preparing and eating the food, watching the Macy's Parade on TV, and the chill in the fall air. This year would have marked the 5th time that Welles and I have hosted Thanksgiving at our house. Every year we switch between hosting my family and his family. With the baby on the way, school, and work commitments, I do not have the energy or time to clean the house to perfection and cook the meal. But, I still had some shopping to do relating to Thanksgiving, and was actually sad when I would leave a store without a cute turkey potholder or an acorn embroidered dishtowel!

My plan for next year - plan early enough to shop online at CrateandBarrel.com - a store that has an entire section dedicated to THANKSGIVING!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."