Cranberry, Apple, Sausage and Pecan Stuffing

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! Why do the holidays always sneak up on us? This year I'm bringing the stuffing to our family meal. I've never made it, but it's Hubby's fave part of the meal. Talk about pressure! So I decided to try a recipe early to ensure I didn't fail miserably.

As I looked for recipes, nothing was quite what I was envisioning. So I decided to make it up myself.

I prefer a moist (hate that word!) stuffing so this recipe turned out moist not-dry, but still fluffy. Perfectly balanced. Hubs loved it so I'd call it a success! Since we didn't have all the other Thanksgiving meal elements, we served our stuffing over some delicata squash (baked at 350 for one hour). It was bomb. We've been stuffing our faces ever since (see what I did there?).

Please excuse the unattractiveness of this picture. It tastes much better than this makes it appear. 

Cranberry, Apple, Sausage

and Pecan Stuffing

(with cornbread and sourdough)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
Cornbread (7 cups cubed)
Sourdough Bread (7 cups cubed)
Butter (1/2 a stick)
Mild Italian Sausage (1 lb)
Green Apples (2)
Celery (2 cups chopped)
Onion (1 medium sized)
Fresh Garlic (2 cloves)
Chopped Pecans (1 cup)
Dried Cranberries (1 cup)
Low Sodium Chicken Broth (3-4 cups)
Thyme (fresh or dried) (1/2 teaspoon)
Sage (fresh or dried) (1/2 teaspoon)
Fresh Parsley (1/4 cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste

What to do with those ingredients:
Prep Work

• Chop Cornbread and Sourdough into approx. 1-inch cubes (7 cups of each kind) and let dry for 24 hours or toast in a 275 degree oven for 30 minutes. I bought a loaf of premade cornbread at Trader Joe's to save time and mess, but you could make your own! If sourdough repulses you, french or whole wheat bread works as well!
• Peel, core, and dice the two green apples
• Dice the onion, chop the celery (2 cups of celery) and mince the garlic
• Chop herbs (if using fresh)

 Cooking

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

• Remove casing from sausage and cook until almost brown in large frying pan, breaking up as you go. Then add diced apples and cook for about five minutes (or until sausage is brown)
• Move sausage and apple mixture to a bowl

• In the same pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter and add onions, garlic, celery, and pecans. Add spices. Cook until onions are translucent. 

• Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Mix in sausage mixture and onion mixture

• Now slowly pour in the chicken broth until stuffing is moist, but not drenched. (I used almost four cups and it produced a moist and flavorful final result)

• Now mix in cranberries and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and add more spices if you please.

• Pour Stuffing into a baking dish (9x13) and bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until hot all the way through and crispy on top