Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta

I made this Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta (though it really should be called dressing since it is cooked outside the Turkey) last year and it was a huge hit! I was nervous since I made it for my in-laws who settle for STOVE-TOP as their choice of Thanksgiving stuffing. Since I am not hosting this year won't be making any stuffing but if you are and want something a little different then check this out.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

The How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

The Verdict: I couldn't stop eating it. It was a nice change from the bagged stuffings (Pepperidge Farms, Bell) that I am used to having on Thanksgiving. In fact, I think I might just make this anyway and bring it along as an extra side! I mean, my motto always is you can never have enough stuffing/dressing!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

If you're like me and FAIL at making pies but love the smells and tastes of pumpkin, then you will love this bread recipe for Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread. My friend Susan made this and I got to have a piece while we enjoyed our coffee and watched our little ones play! It was so yummy and I had to try it out myself!

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

The How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Verdict:
I made mine in a bundt pan because I was too lazy to wash out my loaf pans. In hind sight I would have gotten the loaf pans out. It took a lot longer to cook through in the bundt and I was afraid it was going to burn around the outside so some of the inside was a little undercooked. It still tasted amazing though so I was happy about that. For some reason, like pasta sauce, it tastes much better the next day. This is really easy to do and would be a big hit for your Holiday feast!