Sausage and cornbread stuffing

Photo courtesy of : BHG.com

As promised I am posting my husbands Sausage and cornbread stuffing although it should be called, sausage, pecan, cornbread, dried fruit, incredible yummy stuffing! It's his own recipe, he does Thanksgiving every year, I just clean the house & decorate (yeah, how blessed am I?) and, just like most good cooks, he doesn't have a recipe written down. You can

put in whatever dried fruit you like or have on hand, it will still be great. I like this because it has that slightly salty/sweet combination with the cornbread, sausage and fruit giving you so many flavors. It has a drier texture than the lumpy white bread stuffing, but it is still moist and flavorful. So if you think you want to try this and have any questions email me, all comments go to my email too. I will be checking Thanksgiving morning. This really is easy and I love it!

Cornbread Stuffing for Turkey

Ingredients:
2 boxes Jiffy (or your favorite brand) Corn Muffin Mix, prepared as loaves of cornbread
1 Lb. Pork Sausage (plain, sage, or your preference)
½-1 Lb. Onions, diced

3 stalks celery, diced
1-2 Cups Pecans, toasted
1-2 Cups Dried Fruit (Apricots, Cranberries, Raisins, Apples, Peaches, Cherries or a mixture—avoid tropical fruits)
2-3 Fresh Apples (any good cooking variety will do)
3 Eggs
1-2 Cups Chicken Broth or homemade stock
½ Stick Butter, melted
Sage and Thyme to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Tuesday or Wednesday
Prepare the cornbread. When cool enough to handle, break the loaves into rough chunks and let stand until Thursday morning. Brown the sausage thoroughly. Drain, reserving fat. Crumble finely. Refrigerate both until Thursday morning.

Thursday Morning
Dice Onion and celery. Cook over medium heat in reserved sausage fat until softened and somewhat caramelized. While onions cook, peel core and chop the apples. Chop any larger dried fruits into uniform small pieces. Toast the pecans in a 375*F oven on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times to avoid burning. When nuts are cool, crumble them coarsely in your hands. You’re looking for crunchy little nut fragments, not dust. Crumble the cornbread into small pieces (about ½”-1”).

In a large bowl, mix the cornbread, sausage, dried fruits, caramelized onions, and pecans. Add sage and thyme to taste. Grind some black pepper over the mixture, and add a little salt if you feel it needs it. Use your hands to blend the ingredients, looking for a uniform appearance. Drizzle the chicken broth and melted butter over everything and remix. Taste a small amount of the stuffing and correct the seasoning to your preference. Scramble the eggs and pour them over everything, blending them in well. Don’t taste the stuffing once the eggs are added.

With a large scoop or spoon, place the stuffing into the cavity, packing it in very lightly. You can stuff the neck cavity, if desired. If you have extra stuffing, spoon it into a buttered baking dish and set it in the oven the last hour or two of turkey roasting time (the time it takes to bake the extra stuffing will depend on how much there is—look for a nicely browned crust on top when done). Roast the turkey according to cookbook or package directions, making sure to follow the timetable for stuffed birds. Basting the stuffing in the baking dish with a bit of the turkey drippings during roasting will help its flavor and moistness.

Note: I’m stuffing a 20 lb. bird with this recipe. If yours is smaller, adjust the proportions accordingly (unless you’re a real stuffing fiend).

I am thankful for the love of God that surrounds me and goes with me every day:>)