2011 holiday stuffing/dressing

Take two on our own version of B's family stuffing

Makes one 9x13" dish, enough for 12-15 servings, plus one small 6x9 dish.

Prep time: about 1.5 hours

2 bags of Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing (Note: From the PF web site, looks like 1 bag is 14oz, so 28oz total! We only had Mrs. Cubbinsons, which comes in two 6oz bags per box, so 4 bags/2 boxesm 24oz)

3 medium apples, any kind of RED apple (I used Gala and Fuji this year), peeled cored and rough chopped

2 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 large stalks celery, with leaves, chopped

1 lb of large white mushrooms, rough chopped, about 12-15 count, stems removed (I used 50/50 mix of white and cremini)

1 lb Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

3 eggs

2 sticks of salted butter

2 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp dried parsley

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh sage

1 tbsp black pepper

2 cans chicken broth (24-28 oz total) (I used part of 1 box of chicken broth, measured out exactly 28oz)

1 tbsp Bell's Seasoning + 1/2 tsp for sprinkling on top

1/4-1/2c extra stock or water

NO SALT! (stock, stuffing mix and butter has salt already, Jackie doesn't add salt)

Instructions

1. Pulse stuffing mix until small dice, like breadcrumb. Set aside in large bowl.
2. In batches, grind celery, apple, onion, and mushroom in the food processor until uniform. (This year, I ground celery and onion, mushroom + some stock, apples + some stock). Remove to separate bowl.
3. Add both cans of broth and eggs to food processor. Add all fresh and dried spices except Bell's. Pulse some more. Add to breadcrumb bowl.
4. In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter and brown the sausage in it. At end of cooking, add remaining 1 stick of butter.
5. Pour entire butter/sausage mixture over stuffing.
6. Knead, squeezing thru your fingers to make sure there are no lumps and mixture is uniform and even, 3-5 minutes. (2011: I didn't need to add ANY water, after using the chicken stock)
7. Add Bell's seasoning, "until it smells right". I think 1 tbsp is good.
8. (Let it rest at least 30 minutes. Fry up a small piece in a skillet, taste, and adjust seasoning. This year it tasted very good! Good salt balance, nice flavors)
9. Should look as wet as a meatloaf. Add the extra stock or water if necessary to keep it soft.
10. Pour into 9x13 pyrex baking pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp of Bell Seasoning over the top.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate overnight.
12. The next day, preheat oven to 425F.
13. Bake at 425F for 1-1.25hr, and broil for 3 minutes. (Most everything is cooked except the egg, so shouldn't take too long).

RESULTS:

• We'll see tomorrow, updates then...