1 box or bag of dried bread cubes
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2-3 cups chicken broth
6 dried apricot, chopped into small pieces
2 pads of butter for sauteing vegetables
Ground sage
Pinch of salt
Fresh cracked Black pepper to taste
Cook pork sausage till cooked through, crumble with a wooden spoon while cooking. Season with ground sage, salt and pepper. I don't let it brown too much, just cook till it is done.
Saute onion and celery in butter, season with salt and pepper.
Mix in a large bowl; bread cubes, cooked sausage, vegetables, apricot and season with a few shakes of ground sage. Pour chicken broth into mixture wetting the bread cubes till moist but not sopping wet.
Place into a 9x13 casserole dish and cover with foil to avoid excess browning while it bakes at 350 degrees.
Occasionally mix stuffing with a spoon and add chicken broth as needed to avoid stuffing from drying out too much. If you roasting a chicken or turkey, you can baste the stuffing with the juices from it. This stuffing is also great for stuffing your bird. The stuffing will bake within an hour and be ready to eat and enjoy : )
What I have learned over the years never using a recipe for my stuffing is that ratio is everything. A balance between the bread cubes and the yummy filling you mix into it is important.
If you would like the stuffing to be moist throughout and on top then leave covered with foil, if you want a light crust on top, uncover stuffing for ten minutes or so of cooking and the inside will be moist and the top will develop a nice crust.
Everyone was worried the apricot would be chewy as this was my first year throwing it in, but...they softened in the stuffing and added a wonderful taste as well as a nice visual appeal.
A few days later when I wanted to have more stuffing with Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, I loosely repeated this recipe, substituting bacon that I sliced into small match like pieces, it was so delicious I will make it again with bacon even though I have always been a pork sausage stuffing girl : )
