dried cherry and italian sausage stuffing

"Thanksgiving is America's national chow-down feast, the one

occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty

(in France, by contrast, there are three such days:

Hier, Aujourd'hui and Demain)." ~Michael Dresser

I absolutely love Thanksgiving and am so glad that Canada celebrates it in October so I can have my stuffing now. While I was at first wary of experimenting with my favourite dish on the table--the stuffing--this Real Simple recipe makes me wish I'd have branched out sooner.


dried-cherry and italian sausage stuffing
makes 4-5 servings (easy to double if you’ve got a crowd)

¼ C butter
3 celery stalks, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
½ loaf (5 C) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes and toasted*
½ C dried cherries
A little less than ½ pound Italian sausage—casings removed, cooked, and crumbled
A little less than ½ C flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teas black pepper
1 14½-ounce can chicken broth

* Lay bread cubes on cookie sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Toast in 350° oven until a little crispy.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onions and cook until translucent. In large bowl, combine the celery and onions with the bread, cherries, cooked sausage, parsley, and pepper. Add the broth and stir until well combined. Using a large spoon, loosely stuff mixture into turkey OR simply cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Mmmmmm...serve warm.