Spinach was one of those terrible canned vegetables in my Midwestern upbringing.
Never saw it or had it fresh till adulthood.
What a difference.
Of course now it isn’t good for me because of CKD.
Oh well 
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The Morton’s version is quite tasty and rich. I hope it’s available when and where I can’t chew.
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I agree that “can o’ this, can o’ that” style is pretty revolting and always avoided it. But everything[1] fresh with beans only getting a quick blanch then the remainder of their cook in the oven is really quite nice.
[1] Sometimes we don’t make the French fried onions from scratch. It’s a hassle, and somewhat better than the commercially prepped stuff, but only somewhat better.
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Looking just at the pork question first. I wonder if Trichinosis would have been a concern with a pork-based filling even back when, when pork was much more likely to be infected with it?
Trichinella is inactivated as long as you’ve got some time (12-15 minutes) over 140°F. My birds usually take over 30 minutes to go from 140 to being pulled. And also get some continued carryover during the ~ 30 minute rest. I haven’t written down results over time during the rest period but have noted the breast will crest around 173 after about 15 minutes then slowly start coming back down.
BUT, I’ve never put a probe in a filled cavity. I guess it’s possible that a pork filling at dead center could still never quite achieve 140°F, even though the breast and thighs got done?
Of course, the surer method is just to use pork that’s been frozen for a few weeks first.
I guess the main worry with any stuffing is campylobacter or salmonella from the bird. These also die with ~ 15 minutes at 150°F. But the same consideration/concern probably applies - does the stuffing at dead center ever really get that warm?
Also, the CDC is never going to recommend just barely riding the edge, which is why they always tell us 165°F.
Don’t forget those crunchy onion bits they sweep up off the floor after preparing real onions for another dish, and then throw on top of the GB casserole.
I’ve only tried the Morton’s spinach once, which a DC ordered. I love spinach and it’s not bad tasting at all. But it also is nothing like what I like about spinach. It’s melted cheese and cream with flecks of green. There’s got to be a version that is a happier balance with actual spinach leaves and spinach taste.
EDIT: Just realized that I like creamed spinach as a dip though, or at least it certainly resembles spinach dip more than as a spinach side IMO.
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There’s garlic, then there’s garlic, though. Damn. When it cooks and gets soft, it’s magic. Apparently, yours didn’t cook. I get the idea. Might not have been executed well. Still. Lotta garlic.
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Is there anything better than squishing cooked cloves directly into one’s mouth 
?
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My DH took on Thanksgiving dinner and decided to put an excessive amount of chopped garlic in the bread stuffing that is a once a year treat for me. It was awful. Next year he will have more supervision 
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Yeah, who on earth invented that? C’mon, canned soup?
You’re correct!
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The secret to a good GBC is cream of celery soup (not mushroom), plenty of shredded cheddar maybe a Tbsp of butter, fresh cracked black pepper and a smidgin of salt. Stir halfway through and when golden brown add canned french fried onions. 10 minutes tops.
Hey - Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
This looks similar to a corn spoon bread I’ve been making for years - mine has less butter, only one egg, and some chopped onion.
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I love this Molly O’Neill spoon bread recipe from the NY Times. It’s behind a paywall. The ingredients are pasted in below. Basically, you cook the cornmeal in boiling water briefly (2 minutes) while stirring, then combine after cooled with the rest of the ingredients (whisked together) and bake at 400 for for 40 minutes in a 2 quart dish.
- 2cups water
- 1teaspoon salt
- 1cup yellow cornmeal
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3eggs
- 1cup buttermilk
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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That looks good!
This should be a “gift”.
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Yes it can! I love the multi probe thermometer where I put one probe in the thigh, one in the breast and one in the stuffing. Then I can obsessively watch it all as it cooks and as it rests and it’s remarkable how much the stuffing comes up and then holds the temp during the rest. Very occasionally, the stuffing doesn’t come up enough, at which point I spoon it out and put it in the oven (with the thermometer) or just microwave it just enough to get it hot enough to be safe.
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Her name is Dorcas? …
I do applaud her for keeping those on a tight budget in mind and the struggle for a ‘special’ dish when you are on a limited budget or in a food desert is real. I just find it disconcerting that this seems to have latched on to a broader audience who view this as a classic dish that you need to have.
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Thanks for gifting us!
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I’ve never been a huge fan of actually stuffing the bird. Not or food safety reasons, but because: (a) I want more stuffing than the cavity can contain; (b) the bird cooks faster and more evenly (semi-) empty; and (c) I get more infused flavor from straight herbs, aromatics insertables.
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+1 googol. I always have garlic in my spicy rice, and it’s the best part of the dish.
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Remember canned mushrooms? All we ever had intl like the mid 80s. Hated those rubber pucks. Still, I was a big Popeye fan, so I always eats me spinach.
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