Comfort Food #SundaySupper Caramelized Onion-Challah Stuffing Muffins

Definition:  Comfort Food – Noun:    “Food that is simply prepared and associated with a sense of home or contentment”.  Psychological Studies:  Comfort foods may be consumed to positively pique emotions, to relieve negative psychological affects or to increase positive feelings.

Lee Woodruff’s latest book,  Those We Love Most,  is about family, love, tragedy, coming together and healing.  In short, it holds a reflection of all of our lives.  So this week’s Sunday Supper theme was born…. Comfort Food Recipes.  Find out more about Lee.

Comfort food favorite family recipes are filled with delicious flavors that say home as nothing else does.  But re-creating those dishes isn't always easy.  Maybe it's a unique technique, a subtle variation from the printed recipe or simply Mom's loving touch.  Spend some time with Mom capturing Mom's tricks and tips, and you'll have treasured recipes and memories to last a lifetime - and to pass on from generation to generation.

I'm happy to share one of my family favorites at Thanksgiving. Nothing fancy about this stuffing, just plain good!  My mom cooked very plain with not a lot of spice, but its our comfort food.  The Challah bread is a slightly sweet, egg bread which I think gives richness to this stuffing.

Our last event had me craving this stuffing.  Too early for Thanksgiving?  Heck No!  The stuffing is great with roast chicken or any meal.  Have some Spicy Cranberry Relish on hand, sliced deli Turkey, add the stuffing and some gravy and you have the best sandwich!

Caramelized Onion Challah Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 lb. plain challah cut into l/2" cubes

6 Tablespoons butter

2 large yellow onions, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 tsp. ground thyme (or to taste.  I have used fresh thyme and dried thyme leaves, but it never tasted the same.  Use sparingly as it is a strong flavor)

l/2 c. chopped fresh parsely

3-4 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten until blended.

I usually cut up my Challah bread 3 or 4 days in advance, spread out on a baking sheet and let dry.  If you don't have the time, you can easily toast the bread in the oven.

Preheat oven to 400.

Spread challah cubes in single layer in a large baking pan.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.  In a large, heavy frying pan over medium high heat, melt butter.  When hot, add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Transfer onion and celery to bread cubes.  Add stock( my mom always added warm stock), a little at a time until the bread is completely moistened, but not mushy.  Add ground thyme, parsley and salt and pepper.  I do not add the egg until I have the seasonings just right.  Mix in egg and stir to combine.

Fill the cavities of the turkey with stuffing and truss.

This is a basic bread stuffing.  Variations could include dried cranberries, chopped walnuts or pecans, granny smith apples - whatever your family enjoys!  I did add some dried cranberries to two of the muffins to try.  If I changed this recipe I would be shot!

Holiday Hint:  Instead of baking remaining stuffing in a baking dish, try making "Stuffing Muffins"!

Butter 6 large or 12 standard muffin tins.  Use an ice cream scoop to fill and mound up the stuffing in the muffin tins.   Bake until set and crisp on top; 15-20 mins.  Everyone gets their own individual crispy Stuffing Muffin!

Our #SundaySupper Team and Isabel of Family Foodie  has got us all warm and toasty and feeling kinda "fuzzy" inside with all their favorite comfort food!

If that wasn’t enough, we will also be giving away 5 signed copies of  Those We Love Most, all you have to do is share your most memorable comfort food recipes.

Comfort Food |Soups

• Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup by Damn Delicious
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup by Supper for a Steal
• Kalbi Tang or Korean Short Rib Soup by Kimchi MOM
• Korean mandoo (dumpling) soup by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Chicken Noodle Soup by My Catholic Kitchen
• Thai’d up chicken noodle soup by I Run For Wine
• Ditalini Italian Soup by Mangiamo!
• Spicy Black Bean Soup by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Chicken Chowder by Pippis in the Kitchen Again

Comfort Food  | Main Dish

• Sausage Gravy and Biscuits by Big Bears Wife
• Comforting Down-Home Shrimp and Grits by The Weekend Gourmet
• Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini Bake by The Meltaways
• Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese by Flour on My Face
• Lasagna Roll Ups by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Green Plantain Hash by Basic n Delicious
• Venison Chili by The Messy Baker Blog
• Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells by That Skinny Chick can Bake
• Winter Chicken Stew by Mrs. Mama Hen
• Quinoa, Spinach, and Kale Lasagna by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Baked Oysters and Apples by Pescetarian Journal
• Individual Chicken Pot Pies by Noshing With The Nolands
• Kaesespaetzle {Baked Cheese Spaetzle} by Galactosemia in PDX
• Jalapeno and Bacon Mac N’ Cheese by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Quiche aux Champignons {Mushroom Quiche} by An Appealing Plan
• Mini Mac n Cheese Cups with Pork Shoulder Ragù by Hip Foodie Mom
• Chicken a la King by Girlichef
• Creamy Chicken & Dumplings by La Cocina de Leslie
• Spaghetti Squash Gratins by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
• Hot Dr. Pepper with Lemon by Kwistins Favorites
• Creamy Chicken Enchiladas by Home Cooking Memories
• Savory Slow-Cooked Pork Stew by Daddy Knows Less
• Chicken Roasted with White Wine and Garlic by Webicurean
• Shepherd’s Pie by Small Wallet Big Appetite
• One Skillet Pumpkin Lasagna by The Realistic Nutritionist
• Chicken “Pot Pie” by Diabetic Foodie
• Gluten Free Cornish Pasty by Maroc Mama
• Warm Oven Baked Samosas Stuffed With Sweet Potato & Peas by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Caramelized Onion-Challah Stuffing Muffins by Comfy Cuisine
• Comforting Mashed Potatoes by Momma’s Meals
• Chunky Chili Beans by Mama Mommy Mom
• Rustic Cauliflower and Tomato Gratin by The Wimpy Vegetarian 
• Basmati Rice with Saffron by Family Spice
• Feijoada ~ Portuguese Bean Stew by Family Foodie
Comfort Food | Desserts
• Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy by Juanita’s Cocina
• Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Sour Cream Pound Cake by Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Chocolate Layer Cake by Magnolia Days
• Cinnamon Rice Pudding by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Smores Hot Cocoa by Chocolate Moosey
• Sweet Red Bean Pie by What Smells So Good
• Pistachio Cake Cookies by The Cookie A Day Challenge
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake by No One Likes Crumbly Cookies
• Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownies by Daily Dish Recipes
• Nutella Shortbread Bars by Baker Street
Pairing Wine with Sunday Supper Comfort Food Favorites! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog 
We would be honored to have you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper.  We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm(Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper  live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite Comfort Food Recipes.
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.
We’d also love to feature your easy go to recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too.