[Editor’s Note: Posted Kacy’s awesome Butternut Squash and Spinach Orzo recipe in our Easy Fish and Vegetarian Recipes Page ]
AND STUFF
Back in November 1996, I found in the Gourmet Magazine the best Thanksgiving dressing recipe I had ever seen. I have served their Chestnut and Bacon Dressing for every Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinner since.
For the first ten years or so I made the Chestnut and Bacon Dressing with chestnuts in the shell. I would cook them in the oven, and then break the shells, and pick the sharp pieces off with my fingers. The procedure was time consuming and painful, but worth the price. Then I discovered shelled vacuum packed chestnuts at Trader Joes. From that point on all I had to do was chop the chestnuts. Very easy.
The other day I began thinking about how to make the recipe even easier. The original Gourmet Magazine recipe requires breaking up and cooking thick crusted country bread in the oven for 20 minutes until golden in color. I have done this every time I made the dressing, until now. Or more accurately, until just about now. I found country style sliced bread at the store, and I figured why not toast the bread to a nice golden color in the toaster, and then break it up into bite size pieces. Just to make certain the bread was hard enough, I decided to place the pieces in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. So now the second hardest part of the recipe is done in maybe 3 minutes without fear of burning the bread in the oven.
But, here’s the hitch. After making the bread pieces I discovered that I didn’t have vacuum packed chestnuts in the house (I had some chestnuts with shells on, but that defeats the goal of Easy Recipes). So I shot over to Trader Joes. Uh oh, they did not have any either. I was told they might get some the next day. I can report they didn’t get the shipment. So I went to Whole Foods and, again no luck they were out also.
Yesterday I finally found chestnuts and test cooked the recipe. The toasted bread worked just fine and saved me a lot of time.
EASY RECIPE
(modified from original Gourmet Magazine recipe – 1996)
6 C torn bite size pieces of bread – baked or toasted to golden color.
6 Bacon slices cooked in large fry pan (buy bacon slices from the Butcher much thicker than packaged bacon)
4 Celery Ribs – chopped
3/4 lb vacuum packed shelled Chestnuts – chopped
1/4 C Italian Parsley – minced
2 Onions – Diced
1/4 C unsalted butter (half stick)
2 C Chicken Broth
Preparation: 
Remove cooked bacon from fry pan, add onions and celery to the bacon grease. Stir and when soft add the rosemary, stir and then the chopped chestnuts. Stir for minute or so remove from heat.
Chop the bacon up add it back into the soft vegetables.
Place the bread in 4 Qt oven dish that has been buttered (left over butter add to the cooking vegetables while cooking, see above). Add the vegetables, stir, and then add the parsley and stir again. Finally drizzle the chicken broth over the mixture.
Cover with foil, and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and cook an additional 30 minutes.
And that’s it, you just made an easy recipe wonderful dressing for your Thanksgiving feast. 
How cool is that, an easy Thanksgiving meal for a small family or group of friends .
Good Eating and Table Talk,
Roger
