Penzey Sausage Craisin Stuffing

I am not a fan of stuffing at all. As a kid, every year at Thanksgiving, it was my job to rip up the stale white bread for the stuffing. I figured since I helped make the stuffing it was ok to abstain from eating it. My uncle was always happy with that because it meant more for him. I mean, I didn't eat any so my uncle could have more...yeah, that's it.

Penzey Sausage Craisin Stuffing made a stuffing convert out of me.
It has dried cranberries and sausage, so it is colorful as well as delicious. Plus, the stuffing gets baked outside of the bird, so the bread is only slighly less crispy than a crouton. I think that's why I haven't liked stuffing in the past. I'm not a fan of the gummy version of stuffing. Mrblocko isn't either. I'm so happy I found this recipe because now I feel like I can prepare a traditional holiday dish that my family will enjoy. In fact, I like this stuffing so much I could eat it as a main course.


 Penzeys Sausage Craisin Stuffing
8 brat buns (any crusty bun will work - it just shouldn't be a soft hot dog bun)
1 lb. pork sausage
1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 Cup)
turkey liver and giblets (optional)
1 tsp. POULTRY SEASONING
1/2 Cup red grape juice
1/2 Cup craisins
2 eggs
1 Cup milk

Rip buns into small chunks and place in a large bowl. In a large fry pan over med-high heat, brown sausage, minced onion and turkey liver plus giblets if desired, sprinkle with POULTRY SEASONING. When browned and fully cooked, remove giblets and liver to cool so they can be minced into tiny bits. Toss the sausage and onion in with the bread. Pour the red grape juice into the hot pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the tasty brown bits. When the liquid has reduced by about half, add craisins, toss to combine with liquid, then add to the bread. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and add to the bread. At this point the liver and giblets should be cool enough to mince. Add to the stuffing bowl and mix everything well. Place in a covered baking dish or cover with foil and bake at 350° for 60 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking for a nice golden color. After removing the foil, drizzle a bit of the cooked turkey juices over the top for the final 10 minutes of cooking time if desired.