Turkey & Dressing Casserole

While pregnant with Avery, I became a bit of a freezer packrat. I would cook up vast pots of this or that and freeze most of it so we would have something easy to pull out when time was short. Combined with culinary contributions from friends and family, nine months later, our freezer is just now beginning to once again look normal, and it's no longer a fight to close the thing. I'm considering revising my birthday wish from a deep freezer to something from Tiffany.

So it was a welcome surprise the other day to uncover the leftovers from last Thanksgiving: our dear friends Cindy and James gave us the most fabulously smoked turkey I'd ever put in my mouth, and the remaining meat, though not enough to make many more meals, was simply too good to throw away. I'd considered making turkey noodles out of it, but that's something you can do with bare bones, and we still had enough meat for a turkey & dressing casserole.
Though this dish is just what it sounds like - dressing with a little good turkey meat thrown in - it's unfortunately one that takes a little eyeballing to get the consistency right. I don't know why people freak out about dressing so much. It's nothing more than a savory bread pudding. Remember that you need enough broth so that it pours in clumps into your baking dish, and it should be just right.

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 onion, chopped

1 stick butter

1 10-inch skillet of cornbread

4-6 slices bread (white or wheat - I use the heels)

4-6 ounces mushrooms

1-2 boiled eggs

leftover turkey meat

about a quart of chicken broth

4 eggs, lightly beaten

salt & pepper to taste - rosemary is also good.

• Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the bell pepper, celery, onion, and mushrooms if they are fresh.
• In a large bowl, crumble the breads.
• Add mushrooms (if canned), chopped boiled eggs, meat, raw eggs, and salt & pepper.
• Stir in the chicken broth until very moist, almost soupy.
• Pour into casserole and bake at 450 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Now I need to make some chiffon pumpkin pie.