Slow Cooker Stuffing

I'm always looking for new recipies. Always. This particular time i was looking for a different kind of stuffing for Thanksgiving. What sold me on this recipe is the use of the crockpot. It turned out pretty good. I think it might have needed a bit more spices but it was still yummy. And... i had TONS of complements!!!!

Slow Cooker Stuffing
yeilds: about 12 servings

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp minced garlic
9 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (i chopped about 3/4 of them finely and the rest i left whole)
9 cups dry bread cubes (i added almost 12 cups bakery bread leftovers)
3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage
3/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt (i didn't use it, didn't think i needed it with the salted butter i used)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb sausage (i used sage sausage so i ommited the sage seasoning)
up to 4 cups of chicken broth (start out with 1 1/2 - 2 cups and add more as needed)
2 eggs beaten

1. Melt buter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, garlic and parsley in butter until tender and translucent.
*NOTE - the mushrooms will sweat off a lot of liquid. It will take a while to cook down the liquid.
2. Spoon cooked vegetable over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with seasonings. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs. Transfer to slow cooker and cover.
3. Cook on HIGH for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to LOW and cook for 4 to 8 hours (mine did NOT take that long to cook... only about 3 hours if that).

A few tips:
*stir every hour or so. If you don't the edges will get brown and the center will stay soggy
*spray the crockpot with Pam for easier removal
*cover the crockpot before putting on the lid to help suck up the moisture.
*if the stuffing is too moist, cook the last 30 minutes to hour with the lid off.
*if the stuffing is too dry, add additional chicken stock to your preference.
*it will NOT take as long as the recipe says to cook. Mine was finished cooking about 2-3 hours after i started.

Oatmeal Pie

Yes, i realize this sounds pretty gross. But really, you have to try it before saying such a thing.

This recipe came into our lives by way of a little mom and pop diner, The SunGlow Cafe, in Wayne County. Bicknell to be exact. They have some really great homemade pies there. Some normal ones like coconut cream, chocolate creme, or apple pie. But then there are those "odd" ones. Ones like the sweet pickle pie, the pinto bean pie, the buttermilk pie, or my favorite, the oatmeal pie. But considering that Bicknell is a good 2+ hours away from us, it's not very convenient to hop in the vehicle and go buy a pie. So i searched the Internet high and low and found one that come awfully close to it. And according to my father-in-law, it's even better.

While looking this recipe up i also found a great history to it. It goes something like this: During the Civil War, since pecans were in short supply in the south, oatmeal was substituted for the traditional pecan pie and the results were astonishing.

Here's my version of the Oatmeal Pie:
(it will make 2 deep dish pies)

Oatmeal Pie

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar - packed
1 1/8 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. butter - melted
1 1/2 cups sweetened flake coconut (i use the bakers sweetened coconut)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp rolled oats - raw (Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats - NOT the quick oats)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 -10" prepared deep dish pastry shells - unbaked (i use the Marie Callender's deep dish shells)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Pour into the two prepared pastry shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until browned and set. The last couple minutes of baking, garnish with extra coconut and toast.