My Mother was a fabulous cook---but it was all in her mind and taste buds---she did not use recipes. The down side of that is that I was left with only memories and now I find myself chasing my Mother's creations and finding it very much a hit and miss proposition---more miss than hit I fear

One that has continued to allude me is bread stuffing for the turkey---stuffed or not--I have failed to matched the taste of my youth

Yesterday was my closest yet---I might, with another try or two even claim success.

You might want to give this a try (comments in parenthesis are my notes):

Classic Stuffing (this is a good one)

Yields: 8
Prep Time: 0 hours 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
Ingredients
2 baguettes, country, or sourdough bread (1 pound) (slice baguettes into ½” thick slices and then quarter slices while still fresh)
8 tbsp.butter, plus more for baking dish
1 large onion, diced (about 2 1/4 cups) (sweet)
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced (include and chop all leaves)
2 (4 large) cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. (1 C) freshly chopped parsley (leaves and small stems)
1 tbsp. (2) freshly chopped sage, minced (Approx. 10-12 leaves)
1 tbsp. (2) fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/2 tbsp. (1) freshly chopped rosemary
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 c. (by feel---it has to be wet but not soggy, to avoid burning) low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth (I used home made chicken stock)
2 large eggs, beaten
(2 tbsp of poultry seasoning)

Directions
1. The day before: Tear or slice bread into 1/4" cubes and leave out overnight to dry out. (Alternately, place bread on baking sheets and bake at 200º for 20 minutes.)
2. When you're ready to make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350º and butter a large baking dish. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until soft and fragrant, 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place bread in a large bowl and add skillet mixture. Toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth and beaten eggs and pour over bread mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss until completely coated. (This can be done the day ahead.)
4. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until cooked through, 45 minutes, then remove foil and cook until bread is golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. (Check while it is in the oven and add more broth if needed. Total might be closer to 45 min if on bottom rack.)