I'm proud to say that this is one of those recipes that's among This Old Chef's greatest hits! Your family will love it, I promise!
Dressing... Yes, I'm from Michigan and we called it "dressing" whether on the inside or the outside of the bird!
I went a little crazy this year, but after 8 months away from my kitchen, I think I was due. Instead of buying some baguettes and drying them out...
... I made a few loaves of my hearty white bread, cubed about 2/3 of a loaf, dried it in the oven, let it sit out overnight, and then buzzed it in the food processor until it was very irregularly chopped.
I realize most of you aren't going to MAKE bread just for dressing... but I love bread baking...
Sidebar: Yes, I will give you my recipe for bread some day (which is basically 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 7 cups of all-purpose flour) but, in the meantime, think about how the flavors of your favorite baguette or boule or sourdough from the local bakery might excite your Thanksgiving dressing! You don't need Pepperidge Farm to provide you with their crumbs!
So...
I added the crumbs to masses of chopped onions, celery, and fresh sage that I had sautéed in butter until softened a bit, but not browned. (I chopped 1 huge onion and about 5 stalks of celery).
Sidebar: This is a great place to save a step for the next day. Since you'll very probably make some hash over the next few days (won't you?), sauté extra sage, celery and onion and set it aside. Your hash is now about a third done!
OK, back to the dressing...
Make sure this mixture is well salted and peppered. Then moisten the mixture with some of the turkey stock that I KNOW you made in advance along with some melted butter (how much butter is up to you...). Place this in a well-buttered casserole, cover it with foil, and bake it for about 1/2 hour at 350° or so. Uncover it and stir a bit, occasionally, and leave the foil off for however long it takes to get to the level of dry/moist you like. (Wars are fought over the relative dryness of dressing... I know!)
I've got to tell you... making dressing with homemade bread was a little crazy, but OMG was the flavor/texture amazing. And the little bit that's left will make its way into the aforementioned hash quite happily.