Sage & Sausage Stuffing

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (combine with mild-spicy lamb sausage)
• 1 loaf bread
• 1/2 lb butter, divided
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 -3 large onions, finely chopped
• 4 -5 stalks celery, finely chopped
• sage
• parsley
• thyme

Recipe

• 1 saute meats in large frying pan. while that is cooking, cube the bread (leave the crusts on).
• 2 dump bread cubes into a large bowl. when meat is cooked through, dump into a colander to rinse and drain; then add to the bread cubes, toss lightly.
• 3 in same frying pan, add a dab of butter and saute the mushrooms. when they begin to get limp and juicy, dump into bowl with meat-bread mixture. toss lightly.
• 4 in frying pan, with another dab of butter, saute onion and celery. when onion is transparent either dump into bowl and toss or dump into blender jar along with 1/4-1/2 cup melted butter and swirl into fine-ness. (this is for the kids who don't like to see chunks of "yukkies" as my son complains!), then pour over bread cube mixture and mix inches.
• 5 sprinkle herbs over the top, and toss again.
• 6 depending on how "juicy" you like your stuffing/dressing, melt another 1/2 cup of butter and drizzle over and stir.
• 7 this is used for stuffing turkey, goose or chicken.
• 8 dressing can be baked in a greased, covered casserole dish at 325-350°f for 30-40 minutes.
• 9 optional add-ins: try one or two of the following suggestions: 1-2 small cans sliced (minced) water chestnuts, 1/2 - 1 cup green olives, 1 cup chopped toasted nuts (walnuts are great!). try a 1/4-1/2 cup cornmeal for an entirely different flavor.
• 10 substitute: 1-2 small cans of drained mushroom stems and pieces instead of the fresh ones. other herbs and lots of pepper are great too. try a combination of wholewheat and white bread.
• 11 leftovers: reheat in the oven or microwave; keep pan covered unless you like it a bit drier. use as a bread-like crust for turkey divan (with broccoli spears, turkey pieces, grated cheese and cream-of-mushroom soup over the top--baked).