Midwest Stuffing Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Arrange bread slices on oven rack and bake until very dry but not brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer bread to very large bowl.
• Coarsely crumble bread. Mix in cherries, raisins, currants and prunes. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Add to stuffing. Mix in thyme. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Mix in eggs.
• To bake stuffing in turkey:
• Mix 3/4 cup broth into stuffing. Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough broth into remaining stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup broth, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp, about 15 minutes.
• To bake all stuffing in pan:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Mix 2 3/4 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• In skillet, sauté the sausage, until brown.
• Drain grease and transfer to bread bowl.
• In same skillet, melt stick of butter, sauté all of the vegetables for 10 minutes until soft.
• Remove vegetables and place in bowl.
• Combine the sausage, vegetables, cherries, bread cubes and rest of ingredients EXCEPT the chicken broth.
• Add just enough chicken broth to moisten the bread mixture.
• You do not want it soaking wet.
• If packing the turkey, stuff the neck and cavity loosely with stuffing, folding the neck skin under and fastening with skewer.
• If not, lightly pack stuffing into a large, shallow baking dish.
• If you bake the stuffing inside the bird, roast the bird at 325 degrees for 15 minutes per pound or until the temperature of the bird reaches 170 degrees and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with fork.
• Let turkey rest at least 20 minutes before carving.
• If you bake in separate dish, drizzle the stuffing with alittle bit of stock.
• Cover and bake at 325° for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Uncover and back for an additional 10 minutes.