Cooking for Thanksgiving...

Below is the recipe that I used for my Thanksgiving stuffing. For the record, everybody loved the stuffing. I'll be sending the recipe to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. I cooked a 14lb bird, and put the extra stuffing in a separate pan in the oven.

Harvest Stuffing

Always cool the stuffing completely before filling the turkey. Makes 10 cups of stuffing, enough for an 18-pound turkey.

Ingredients:
2 pounds well-spiced bulk turkey sausage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2.5 cups each chopped red onions and celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crumbled
10 cups cubed (1-inch) bread, toasted
1 Granny Smith apples, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup dried cherries
1 cup each dried apricots quartered (I used Turkish apricots)
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Brown the sausage in a pan, breaking up clumps; remove to a large bowl. Add the oil to the pan; stir in the onions, celery, garlic, thyme, and sage and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add to the sausage along with the bread, apples and dried fruits. Toss well. Drizzle the broth over the mixture to moisten as desired and season with salt and pepper. Cool before stuffing the turkey.

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