Sweet Sausage Dressing

Wow, I sure got a lot of hits on my turkey-in-a-bag.  Don't know that I have ever got so many people looking at my blog in a day.  I love easy and simple things and after doing it for over 25 years, it must be easy or I would not keep doing it.

Thought I would share a sweet dressing with you to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey.  Your guests can pick a traditional one or a sweet one or both.  This would go great with a pork roast also.

16 slices of dried out white or wheat sandwich bread

1 lb. sausage

1 and 1/2 apples, cored and chopped

1 finely chopped onion

5 oz. bag of craisins

1 cup coarse chopped walnuts or pecans

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 teaspoons sage

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken stock

1/4 honey

Cube the bread, crusts and all, into 1 inch pieces. Add to bowl. Fry up the sausage until completely done, along with the chopped apples and onion. When sausage is cooked through, pour this mixture over the bread and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add craisins and nuts, mixing well after each addition. Combine all of the spices and sprinkle over the stuffing, mixing well to insure the spices are distributed evenly. As you’re mixing, add a little chicken stock (1/4 cup at a time) to the stuffing, being careful not to add too much. You want the stuffing moist, not sticky and gloppy.  Sample taste it. Adjust spices if necessary. If you feel the stuffing could be a little sweeter, add 1/4 cup of honey. If you accidentally add too much stock add additional bread to soak up the excess moisture. Bake at 350 degrees F. just until heated through.

Variation - You can substitute some of the bread with corn bread if you like.

An ideal Thanksgiving will still have my mother's traditional sausage and sage dressing and an oyster dressing on the table.  A small spoonful of each will work for me.

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.