Grand Marnier Apricot Stuffing Recipe

(Great. Expensive.) You will LOVE it!

1 C Diced Dried Apricots
1 C Grand Marnier
1 C Butter (2 cubes) (split in half)
2 C Chopped Celery
1 Lg. Chopped Yellow Onion
1# Herb Stuffing Mix (1 box?)
2 C Chicken Stock (bullion)
1/2 t Dried Thyme (optional,herb stuffing mix has it)
1# Pork Sausage
Salt & Pepper
A cup or so Chopped Mushrooms.
◼ Heat 1/2 C Grand Marnier and 1 Cup Apricots to boiling, then set aside.
◼ Melt 1/2 C of Butter (1 cube) in large skillet
◼ Saute celery, onion and mushrooms, 5-10 minutes.
◼ Transfer to mixing bowl.
◼ Cook sausage til no longer pink,
◼ Add sausage, Apricots and liquid, herb mix and stuffing to the mixing bowl,
◼ Stir to combine.

◼ Heat remaining 1/2 C of butter and stock in small sauce pan til butter melts.
◼ Pour over the stuffing mix, and add the remaining 1/2 Cup Grand Marnier
◼ Stir again. Season with thyme, salt and pepper to taste. (shouldn't need it)

Cook 30 minutes at 375 degrees

Enough for a 21-24# Turkey, but I always make it as a dressing as opposed to stuffing.
Makes 1 big rectangle size or 2 full quiche/pie size pans. Don’t need to grease pans.
Don’t need to cover while cooking...in fact you want the top to crisp a bit.
Reheats easily.
(If you can't find Grand Marnier, use Cointreau® or any other orange-flavored liqueur as a substitute. No alcohol? Use Orange Juice concentrate.)
Other Grand Marnier recipes
Find this recipe and all its variations online - Quick google search
At our house we call this C&D's Apricot Grand Marnier Stuffing, and it has become a permanent part of our holiday menu. This Christmas (08) D tells me that she first found it in the Silver Palate Cookbook. We've both now made vegetarian versions... either by leaving out the sausage or by substituting a vegetarian 'meat.'

Recipes and Magazines

Maybe it's because food isn't my thing, or if I wanted to look at recipes I would've subscribed to a food magazine, but it always irritated me that a goodly section of my gardening and home design magazines were devoted to food. It's like, can't you leave that off for awhile? It's not what I am here for.

But I find now, as I am putting together my own sort of blog version of those two lifestyle things, gardening and home, the food part is creeping in - what we serve for the holidays - a collection of recipes with contributions from friends and family members, the recipes the kids now call and ask for, the ones you pass along to friends...Maybe it is because I am now, finally, at 50, finding myself with time to pay attention to the food and entertaining aspect of life, the gourmet cooking, and all... maybe it is because the kids have developed a bent for just that, and it is fun to join them.

Is it part of the package? Or is it just too cumbersome to set up another blog just for that? Either way, I'll be adding them here. Katie's Fig Recipe, Logan's Vodka Rustica, Chris and Deb's Apricot Grand Marnier Stuffing...and more. If they were sourced, I'll include the sources. Some sources may lave been long obscured by time.

Katie's FIG recipe

Here's Katie's recipe (her own original recipe - it is REALLY good!)

Let's see - INGREDIENTS:
12-15 Black Mission Figs
1# of Turkey Bacon (or regular bacon if you prefer)
Gorgonzola Cheese
about 2 C Pecans
Butter
Brown Sugar

◼ Cut the Figs in 1/2 or 1/3 depending on how big/thick they are.
◼ Lay them in a deep dish, pack them tight, side by side, like sardines (you don't want the topping falling through the cracks)
◼ Cook the turkey bacon, crispy but not black, crumble or dice, sprinkle on top of the figs.
◼ Crumble the Gorgonzola and sprinkle on top of the figs.
◼ Quickly saute the Pecans in a cube of butter and 1/2 C to 1C C..brown sugar...you want 'em carmelized but not goo-ey...put this in the freezer til it hardens, then chop up and sprinkle over the figs.
◼ Drizzle heavily with olive oil, and then heavily with balsamic vinegar.

Best to make it in the morning, let it sit so the figs absorb all the flavors, serve at room temperature.

She says all quantities are approximate, there is no wrong way to do this. And it is to die for.