Cranberry Sage Cornbread Stuffing

• Cut corn bread into rough 1-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Refresh dried cranberries using just enough boiled water to cover, approximately 20 minutes.
• Sauté onions and celery in olive oil over medium heat until translucent but not brown.
• Add sautéed onions and celery, refreshed dried cranberries, chopped sage to corn bread. Season with salt and pepper and mix the ingredients until just blended.
• Add chicken broth and mix. The mixture should be quite moist but not soupy. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary.
• Add beaten eggs and mix.
• Bake in a 9×13-inch pan covered with foil at 350 degrees F about 45 minutes or stuff into the cavity of your turkey and cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Tips

• Use store-bought corn bread to save yourself time.
• For a vegetarian dressing use vegetable broth and bake in the oven covered with aluminum foil.
• If baking in the oven, do not let your dressing dry out; add broth if necessary.
• Make sure the stuffing is room temperature or colder before stuffing the cavity of your turkey.
• Stuff your bird immediately before cooking. Never stuff your turkey the night before. Bacteria from the meat might enter the stuffing and not be adequately eliminated during cooking.
• Never stuff a turkey for deep frying. If you are deep frying your turkey, serve this recipe as a dressing baked in the oven.
• Contributed by: JAY EIDELMAN
• Corn bread stuffing is a southern classic. In this version, the lush texture and sweetness of the corn bread is complimented by aromatic sage. Dried cranberries peak out like little gemstones and add a tangy zing.