Mama's Thanksgiving Stuffed Turkey

My Mama was a wonderful cook! Every meal that she prepared was a culinary delight. My Mama also had a wicked sense of humor. In with her collection of cookbooks, there is one called, "You've had worse things in your Mouth" Click here to take a peak :-) This cookbook has a MAJOR disclaimer in the revenge section! One of the recipes is called "Hoy Vey". It is a pate that includes three types of liver, onions, boiled eggs and 1 1/2 bottles of castor oil! HOY VEY!!!

In this picture, she is holding a cookbook called "White Trash Cooking" from  her collection. Mama jokingly swore that the woman on the cover is her Aunt Annie!

I found this recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey in her box of hand written recipes. She got it from an elderly lady at church no less!!!

BAKED STUFFED TURKEY***

1 giant size turkey
1 cup melted butter
1 cup pre-made stuffing mix
1 cup uncooked popcorn
Salt/pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush turkey well with melted butter, salt, and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn (mixed together). Place in baking pan with the neck end toward the back of the oven.

When the turkey’s ass blows off, it is done!

***Do not try this at home! Southern With A Twist is not responsible for oven damage, kitchen damage or bodily harm if this recipe is attempted!***

Stuffed Pork Chops

This recipe is very easy to make, but it looks like it took you all day. It's very moist and delicious!

4 Thick Pork Chops*
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Beef Broth

Stuffing:
1 prepared Jiffy Mix cornbread, crumbled
1 Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Mushrooms and liquid
Salt, Pepper & Garlic

Glaze:
2 Tbsp Maple pancake syrup & 2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix stuffing ingredients in a medium size bowl. Spoon into cut side of the pork chop. Place chops in a casserole dish sprayed with oil. Pour 1/4 cup beef both in the bottom of the dish to keep the pork moist. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper and garlic.

Bake for 30 minutes. Mix mustard and syrup. Baste pork loin and return to oven for 15 minutes.

* To prepare the chops, horizontally cut a pocket in the center of the chop, leaving the back and ends in tact. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I love Chicken Cordon Blue! I love the flavor, but not the work. This is so much easier than rolling and dredging and dipping and frying... It also tastes so amazing! I'm not putting the tradition method down. As a matter of fact, I love the presentation and textures of the traditional. But this casserole never turns out dry and it's easy! It's a no-fail recipe! :-)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

6 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
6 Ham Slices, rough chopped
6 Swiss Cheese Slices

1 (10.75 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cup White Wine or White Grape Juice
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Pepper
Salt, to taste
1 (6oz) Dry Stuffing Mix (Chicken or Cornbread Flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in greased pan. Top with ham and then cheese slices. In a bowl, combine soup, sour cream, wine, garlic, basil and salt and pepper. Mix well and pour mixture over chicken. Top with stuffing mix. Bake covered for 30 minutes. If you like your topping extra crunchy, remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes.

Spinach Balls

These are great for parties and family get-togethers. This recipe makes about 6 dozen. You can make them ahead of time and freeze. Just take them out and thaw them about an hour before baking.

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 onion, finely chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t garlic powder

1/2 t basil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine ingredients. Mix well. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls (If you make them with a cookie scoop, they will be the same size and cook at the same rate.).

** To make ahead... Freeze. Thaw 1 hour before baking.

Arrange the balls in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve on a hot plate or tray. Make approximately 70 balls.

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole... Super Easy!

Me and Granddaddy Bradham

The Holidays got me thinking about family and loved ones past. I wanted to include this partial story from my short-stories book... Crazy People... Philosophy 101

"Mama included several pages of the 'Philosophy of Perry H Bradham' in the book she was writing for me. In Mama’s eyes, Granddaddy Bradham, was all-knowing. Very seldom in life does a little girl look to her father as a hero, ‘the greatest man that ever lived’ and keep that image with her throughout her life, untarnished. Mama used to say that she worshipped her father. ‘The sun rose and set on him. My eyes were never big enough to see him.' She could not bare the thought of ever disappointing him. She would get in trouble as a child and Granddaddy would come in to punish her. He would start to talk to her, “Honey, I am very disappointed in you.” Mama said that she would sob, “Daddy please just spank me! Please!”

Granddaddy Bradham was a simple yet complex man. He made homemade wine. He cooked a pretty mean Bar-B-Q Pig! (A recipe which my Daddy combined with his own to come up with the bar-b-que he cooks today.) He used old fashioned know-how and common sense to be a successful businessman, a husband and a father who helped raised five children.

Here are some of the thoughts of Perry H. Bradham, as written by his daughter:

°A little prayer is like a spiritual glass of iced tea on a hell of a day.
°We do not solve other people’s problems; we give them confidence so they can solve their own.
°What a great world this would be if we would forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings.
°In a way, to be criticized is to be complimented; it shows that you were doing something too important for the critics to ignore.
°If a hypocrite is between you and God, he is closer to God than you are.
°Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people will ever read.
°To act is easy; to think is hard.
°The people whose company I enjoy most are the ones who know that I don’t always enjoy company.
°Love is like an onion. We taste it with delight; but when it’s gone we wonder whatever made us bite.
°Love is like lightning. It would just as soon strike the outhouse as the church..."


With that said... I wanted to share a very simple, but tasty Chicken and Dressing Casserole recipe. It is Thanksgiving in a dish! When mixing you may think that the mixture is too wet, but it cooks perfectly! This is a dressing casserole that is so moist it doesn't even need gravy... but I love gravy, so I fix some on the side anyway!

Chicken -n- Dressin' Casserole

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1 pan prepared cornbread, cooled and crumbled
4 eggs, boiled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Combine all ingredients and place in a 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Cornbread Dressing and Holiday Tummy Trouble?

Many of us complain about overeating during the holidays. Some of us even complain that we really didn't overindulge and still have that nagging heartburn or indigestion! I had that problem for years until I started listening to my Dad. He always complained about dressing (or stuffing) giving him heartburn/indigestion. I started investigating, and I couldn't figure out what the problem was... until I noticed that the pre-packaged mixes always have the pungent aroma of sage. My Dad always complained about sage being the culprit. We had homemade dressing and had the same result... heartburn! Come to find out, the homemade recipes called for poultry seasoning which is loaded with sage. Smell the poultry spice in your spice rack or smell the pre-packaged stuffing mix (if you use it). That strong herb smell is sage. I'm not knocking sage. It's a lovely herb to use. It's just not the friendliest to the tummy!

If you've had this trouble and never have been able to find out what the cause is, try this recipe for homemade dressing (or stuffing if you like) and see if it helps your tummy troubles.
P.S. It will not help the overindulgence problem however!

Cornbread Dressing

This is very basic. You can add or remove veggies or the eggs. You can also add 1 t poultry seasoning. I don't use it because sage causes a heartburn problem in my family, but you can add it if you like!

2 (16 ounce) pkgs Jiffy corn bread mix
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch celery, chopped
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups turkey stock
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare cornbread according to directions on package. Cool and crumble.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté the onion and celery in 1/4 cup butter. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled corn bread, onion, garlic, celery and eggs. Gently stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turkey broth 1 cup at a time until the cornbread becomes very moist but soupy. Place stuffing into a casserole dish. Bake for about 45 minutes or until stuffing sets.

Baked Flounder Stuffed With Crabmeat

Tired of turkey and dressing or ham and potato salad? Here's a change up from the same ole, same ole holiday fare...

8 flounder fillets
1/2 pound fresh crabmeat, picked through for shells
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup oil
1 cup fine break crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
8 pats butter
8 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Simmer peppers, onions, celery and garlic in oil until soft. Remove from heat. Add bread crumbs, eggs, pepper and parsley. Add crabmeat and toss with fork.

Place 3 tablespoons of stuffing into the middle of each fillet. Top each with a pat of butter and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Close ends of fillet over middle and insert toothpick. Place in greased baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Here's a recipe to help you use up those summer tomatoes. It's a break from salads and a heartier dish.


4 large tomatoes
Dash salt
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons soft bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Basil
2/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided

Cut tomatoes in half; scoop out and discard pulp, leaving a thin shell. Sprinkle lightly with salt; invert on paper towels to drain for 15 minutes.

In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; stir in cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, basil and 1/3 cup of cheese. Spoon into tomato cups; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Do you like the flavor of Chicken Cordon Bleu, but the thought of all that work just does not appeal to you? Well, this is a recipe for you! All the flavor of the original dish with very little effort, and you still come out of the kitchen looking like a master chef!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

6 Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless*
6 Ham Slices
6 Swiss Cheese Slices

1 (10.75 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cup White Wine or White Grape Juice
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Parsley
1 tsp Pepper
Salt, to taste
1 (6oz) Dry Stuffing Mix (Chicken or Cornbread Flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken breasts in greased pan. Top with ham slices and then cheese slices. In a bowl, combine soup, sour cream, wine, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix well and pour mixture over chicken. Top with stuffing mix. Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.


*I like to cook my chicken and diced (also dice the ham) it when making a big casserole. It is easier to serve and the casseroles serve more people than a per piece dish.

Stuffed Pork Loin with Maple Mustard Glaze

This recipe is very easy to make, but it looks like it took you all day. It's very moist and delicious!

1 Pork Loin (2lb), butterflied*
Salt, Pepper & Garlic
1/4 cup Beef Broth

Stuffing:
1 prepared Jiffy Mix cornbread, crumbled
1 Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Mushrooms and liquid
Salt, Pepper & Garlic

Glaze:
2 Tbsp Maple pancake syrup & 2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix stuffing ingredients in a medium size bowl. Spoon into cut side of the pork loin. Roll up the loin. Place cut side down in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup beef both in the bottom of the dish to keep the pork moist. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper and garlic.

Bake for 1 hour. Mix mustard and syrup. Baste pork loin and return to oven for 20 minutes. Let it stand 10 minute before slicing.

* For this recipe I made a roll cut on the Pork Lion instead of butterflying it. It takes more time and patience, but worth the trouble!

Roll Cut: To roll cut a roast, place the trimmed roast on a cutting board so that one end is directly in front of you. Take a very sharp knife and begin cutting on the side, parallel to the cutting board about 1 inch (more or less is up to you) from the board. As you cut, "unroll" the roast. This is kind of like unrolling a roll of paper towels. The great advantage to this technique is that once you really master it you can cut a roast to 1/2 inch thickness or less.