Grandma Jeffs' Turkey Dressing

Averil's grandmother, Margaret Jeffs, brought this recipe over from England.

• Big bunch of parsley, well chopped
• 2 thick slices of stale bread, without crust, soaked in cold water
• 1/4 pound suet, well chopped
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• Small teaspoon full of thyme
• Rind of 1 lemon
• Pepper and salt, just enough to taste
• Nutmeg

There are no directions with this recipe. Cube the bread, mix everything together and bake at 350°F. Grandma probably stuffed the dressing in the turkey's cavity. Modern food safety recommends baking the dressing in a separate pan to be sure both stuffing and turkey are cooked through. And the separate pan is a lot less messy.

You may have to go to a butcher for suet. You can substitute a stick of butter or less. Edith says: "This is quite a bit more than I would use." I [Jill] use 1/4 cup or so of olive oil for 4 to 6 slices of bread.

If you do use suet, be sure the dressing cooks thoroughly, until it reaches 165°F.