and now for something competely different.....

 Stuffing pancakes!

I mixed the last of the stuffing and chicken together, added an egg, and fried my little pancakes until crispy and golden.  Actually could have been better than the waffles!

stuffing waffles

 Tik Tok convinced me to try making stuffing waffles (although now I see I have done this before) and it seemed like the perfect way to use up the leftover rotisserie chicken we had.  I made up a box, hosed down the waffle maker with spray and added the stuffing.  A few minutes later we had waffled stuffing deliciousness.

 Unfortunately, they did NOT want to come out of the waffle maker and ended up in pieces on our plates.  But look how gooooooood.

Stuffing Waffles

My favorite part of  a Thanksgiving dinner has always been the stuffing.  I could eat a big plate of stuffing and gravy, maybe with a little turkey, and be perfectly happy.  

I admit, I am scared of cooking turkeys.  I'm terrified that I'll under cook them and won't notice, and make my family sick.  So because of this fear I've only cooked maybe 3 or 4 turkeys in my life.  I rely on my parents for a turkey feast at Thanksgiving.  

My mom has moved away from cooking the homemade bread stuffing right in the turkey and either bakes the stuffing in a dish in the oven, or makes packaged stuffing.  

I am not a snob, and have nothing against packaged stuffing.
There's a box of it in my kitchen right now.  There were 2 boxes, but I used one to
make Stuffing Waffles.

After this Thanksgiving my parents tried a stuffing waffle recipe where the dry stuffing mix is processed until it's ground up and then mixed in a batter.  They thought they were ok, but wouldn't make them again.  I did some searching around and found a few recipes where they used prepared stuffing and then mixed in eggs and broth to bind the waffles so they'd stay together while cooking.

To use up our turkey and gravy leftovers, I made a box of stuffing and added some extra water - about 1/4 cup.  I let the stuffing cool for a bit before I made the waffles because I'd planned to add an egg for binding, but decided at the last minute to try without it.  I portioned the stuffing into 4 balls, then pressed each into a squareish shape, slapped them on the waffle maker, and closed it up.

They were ridiculously good!  I loved the crispy exterior with the gravy and tender turkey.

The Stuffing Waffle should not just be saved for leftovers - I would definitely make these to be part of any poultry/gravy feast.

3 recipes you should try

We had a pre-Christmas dinner at my parents house on the weekend, so we could all get our turkey fix before our nontraditional dinner on the 25th.  Of course I didn't take any photos, and I'm steamed about that because it was fantastic and delicious.  They made turkey, carrots cooked in mango juice (I think), brussel sprouts with bacon, mashed potatos and raisin bread stuffing.  And gravy.  The stuffing and the potatos were the best of a stellar bunch.  I found the recipes on Chatelaine.com:

Sausage and raisin stuffing

I'd never had stuffing with meat in it before, and didn't think it was very appealing, but this was really really good. The only think I personally would do differently would be to cut the sausages smaller.

Mashed potatoes with parmesan and scallions

Yum!

Also I squeezed in one more tasty treat after my 3 cookies I shared with you. I made Saltine Cracker Candy and it was amazing! Easy and delicious.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge - Stuffed Giganto Burger

Diner Food is the theme of this months Weekend Cookbook Challenge as chosen by our hostess Ani from Foodie Chickie. I instantly knew what I was going to make - a burger. Many many many years ago when I worked at a restaurant in Calgary, my co-workers and I would visit a small diner in our neighborhood a couple of times a month. The place was small and served the most amazing burgers. They did them old school, served open face on a piece of toast instead of bread. So, so good.

I found the inspiration for my WCC recipe this month in a cookbook from the 70's that I bought at a book sale last month - Better Homes and Gardens All Time Favorite Barbecue Recipes.


You can just tell that there are going to be some gems in there, can't you.

I was instantly drawn to their recipe for Giant Stuffed Grillburger - 2 huge hamburger patties surrounding a savory filling. A jumbo burger to serve 8 people? Why not? Well, there's only 2 of us, but we're not afraid of leftovers.

I've switched around the recipe from the book, omitting, adding, adjusting. Here's what you need to make my version:

Stuffed Giganto Burger

850 g lean or extra lean ground beef
4 shallots thinly sliced
1 tsp oil
1 egg
1 cup stuffing mix (dry)
1/4 cup water
2 tb bbq sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
4 green onions sliced
handful italian parsley, chopped
2 cheese slices
salt
pepper
extra bbq sauce for basting
ketchup, mustard and relish for serving

Heat the oil in a small pan and saute the shallots until soft and slightly brown. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add the dry stuffing mix and the water and stir to combine. Mix in the cooked shallots, bbq sauce, lemon juice, sliced onions and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper (light on the salt as the stuffing mix is seasoned). Set aside.

In another bowl, place your meat and some salt and pepper. Mix well and divide the meat in half. Place two large pieces of parchment paper or foil on the counter and place one piece of meat in each one. Press and form the meat into 2 large patties, approximately 8 inches in diameter.


Place the stuffing mixture on one of the patties, leaving a 1/2 inch or so border.


Rip the 2 cheese slices into pieces and place on top of the stuffing.


Carefully place the other patty on top. Press, squeeze and pat the edges together. Try to seal any holes.


Preheat your grill to medium. Carefully place your big ole burger on the grill. I read afterward (of course) that the book suggests you use a grill basket. This would make it easier, but is not necessary. Brush some bbq sauce on the burger, and cook, covered for 12 minutes.


Use a couple of big flippers and carefully turn the patty over. Brush the other side with sauce, and cook, lid down for another 10 minutes.


If you like, give the patty a little cut and poke to make sure the beef is cooked through. Then carefully remove from the grill to a large platter. I put my spatula next to it so you can see how big it is. It's huge!


Look at that inside. Lovely and soft and gooey. Thanks cheese!


Cut into wedges and serve with ketchup, mustard and relish. You could put it in a bun, but you've got bread on the inside already. But hey, it's your dinner.


This was crazy good! It really isn't any more work than "regular" burgers and tasted terrific. Definitely going on my make again list.

Get your Diner themed posts for Weekend Cookbook Challenge to Ani by November 24. Her email is foodiechickie AT yahoo DOT com.