Apple Cranberry Stuffing

I’m a big stuffing fan – big fan. The thing is – the older I get, the less I like the “only add butter and water” kind. What’s in that stuff anyway? So I found a recipe a while back to make it myself. I tweaked it and played with it for a couple years now and it’s evolved into something completely different.

Depending on what you add in to it, it can be very frugal. I make this using stale bread that I keep in the freezer. Each time I have a slice or two of stale bread or a heel that no one will eat, I break it up and toss it in a bread bag that I keep in the freezer – specifically for this recipe. I only add the cranberries to it around Thanksgiving. When I make it the rest of the year I usually just add the apple. So here it is.

(My apology for the lack of a photo, but I can’t make stuffing 2 weeks before Thanksgiving or no one will care about it on the actual day )

Apple Cranberry Stuffing

• 1 lb. bread (torn or cubed, whatever you like)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 tsp. chicken seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. ground sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• (sometimes I add rosemary if I feel like it)
• 1 apple- peeled, cored and chopped or shredded
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Mix the bread cubes with the seasonings.
2. Saute the onion and celery in the butter.
3. Add the onion, celery and butter to the bread cubes. Also add the apple and cranberries. Mix gently.
4. Lightly drizzle the broth over the whole mixture, stopping to mix a couple times. You want it to be moistened but not soggy. You may not need all the broth.
5. Place the stuffing in a covered casserole dish or wrap in foil. Bake in a 350F degree oven for an hour. If you want it to get a little crusty you can open or uncover it at the end.

*If you like, you can reconstitute the cranberries before you add them by boiling them  in water until they plump up.

*Also, when made with the apple this stuffing is great alongside pork.

Why I do what I do – Lately my daughter has been pretending to be Santa Claus. She drives a sleigh around my house and brings presents to children. She gives each of them a snuggly bear and a lollipop and the children are VERY happy. It really made something seem obvious to me – I’m the one that inflates the expectation at Christmas, not her. I prayed silently, Lord let me be more like my daughter.

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Tagged as: Recipes, Thanksgiving