Some Holiday Ideas...(15)
- bridgetscooking
- Oct 26, 2025
- 4 min read
Hello gentle readers! October is flying by and I thought it might be fun to talk about ways to prepare for the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving in particular...Okay that decorated pumpkin picture above is not a sourdough recipe, but may be a fun craft to try. My husband and I were looking for a new tree last week and I saw this displayed at Suburban Lawn and Garden. I thought it looked very cool and decided to ask how it was made. Pretty simple, a whole pumpkin, you don't have to cut it and remove the insides, a big win from my perspective. The next step is to use your handy hot glue gun and attach some moss. Then just de-stem and glue some succulents and add any other decorative touches you like. I am going to use artificial succulents as I already have those. I plan to work on this project in the next couple of weeks, so I will show you my results on my next post. Wish me luck!
Returning to the main purpose of this blog—fantastic recipes! In my previous post, I mentioned a scrumptious pumpkin bread recipe and wanted to share how well the small loaves turned out. (You can easily locate this recipe in the recipe section of my blog.) Smaller loaves are ideal for this season since you can gift them or freeze them for later. Muffins are also excellent for the same reasons. I find that larger loaves sometimes don't slice as neatly as the smaller ones. It might just be my technique, though...☺️
The stuffing depicted in the "vintage" Country Festival Corning Ware photo above comes from a new recipe I experimented with. It turned out so delicious that I wanted to share it with you. In the past, I've consistently used Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs to make stuffing.
Does this package seem familiar? It's the stuffing mix my mom always used, so naturally, I followed suit! It's tasty, but using your own sourdough bread for stuffing will elevate it to a whole new level!
I started with a recipe I found from the website "Amy Bakes Bread". I've included the link to her original recipe: https://amybakesbread.com/traditional-sourdough-stuffing/
I have tweaked the recipe a bit (you will find my version in the recipe section of my blog) and will talk about that now. First of all, you start with any sourdough loaf you happen to have on hand. I had previously frozen a loaf of the "Easy Sourdough Bread with Discard" which you can also find in the recipe section of my blog. If you happen to have some day old "Pain de Compagne" that will work very well too.
The initial step in the recipe involves drying the bread to ensure it serves well as the main ingredient for stuffing. This can be done several days in advance on your counter to further dry out the bread. I opted for the alternative option by baking the bread cubes I had cut at 170-200 degrees for about an hour. After cooling the cubes, I stored them in an airtight container for use the next day. However, you can prepare the stuffing on the same day if preferred.
I halved the recipe and made some adjustments. I chopped an onion, a few celery stalks, skipped the garlic, and added a chopped green pepper. This might seem unusual, but my mother was Cajun, and adding bell pepper to her stuffing always made sense. I've kept this tradition, and it tastes wonderful! I didn't find garlic necessary, but if you like it, feel free to include it! I used fresh rosemary, along with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Without fresh sage, I opted for powdered sage, adding it with the poultry seasoning. I also added a bit more chicken stock (I use Costco chicken stock, but any brand works), about another half cup, to prevent the stuffing from being too dry. Instead of baking the stuffing in the oven, we used our smoker. It took about the same time as oven baking and was convenient since we had smoked the turkey earlier in the day. It turned out fantastic! I will never make my stuffing any other way! Note: I no longer "stuff" my turkey; I always make the stuffing on the side, so I guess it's really dressing, but I'll just keep calling it stuffing...
Here's another fantastic recipe I'd like to share, courtesy of one of my "sourdough buddies," Tammy. Although I haven't made this recipe myself, Tammy gave me a batch to taste, and they are delightful! This recipe is also available on the "Amy Bakes Bread" website. https://amybakesbread.com/sourdough-discard-crispy-crackers/
Tammy mentioned that these are incredibly simple to prepare, and her family adores them. They could be a perfect snack to serve to guests or your family as they wait for the holiday meal! I'm planning to make them as well!
Finally, I wanted to share a distinctive pumpkin dessert: Sourdough Pumpkin Blondies. I combined two recipes to create this delightful treat. I initially found the recipe on the NYT recipe site, but I wanted to include sourdough discard, so I looked for a sourdough pumpkin blondie recipe. I discovered one and blended the best aspects of both recipes. You can find it in the recipe section of my blog. What I loved most was the pumpkin flavor! I appreciated the NYT recipe's use of white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips instead of chocolate. You might prefer chocolate, but I think the other chips let the pumpkin shine! I also adjusted the recipe for a square pan (I used metal), but you can easily double it for a larger gathering. Note: I added 1/2 cup of pecans, just because! You can easily omit them if you prefer. My "sourdough buddy" Betty says they are amazing and her family loved them!
That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed today's blog and have the opportunity to try these new recipes. Next time we chat, I'll share some tips on preparing cinnamon rolls in advance. Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon!
Bridget (your sourdough friend!)
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