A Thanksgiving Side and Vacation Videos

Several weeks ago the folks at Olivia's Croutons sent me some Olivia's Stuffing to try out (Thank you!). I loved their croutons so I was excited to try their stuffing mixes too. Don't you love the farm on their box? They sent me their Traditional and the Cornbread stuffing free of charge. They did not ask me to blog about it, but that's what I do! So here I am sharing my recipe with you. I don't make stuffing often, but when I do, it's with cornbread. Day old, homemade cornbread- never with stuffing mix, so this was new for me.

I adapted my recipe to accommodate the stuffing mix, by adding more liquid and adjusting little things here and there. It makes a ton so it's great for Thanksgiving or other large crowds. You can also cut the recipe in half or make the full batch and share with someone else or freeze it. My mom usually makes hers with added giblets, which I love, but this one is a little different as it has apples, sausage and Texas pecans in it. I invited her over for dinner the night I made it and she loved it. I also served it with My Favorite Pork Tenderloin and store bought creamed spinach.

Now this is where I have to be honest, because that is who I am. I thought this recipe tasted great but I thought the stuffing pieces were too large. They softened with the addition of chicken broth but they were just too big for my liking. I guess that's mostly because I'm used to a fresh cornbread stuffing, thus it's softer and more cohesive, like a bread pudding. But if you like a chunkier stuffing than Olivia's stuffing is for you. By the way, do you call it Stuffing or Dressing? Answer my poll on the top left sidebar!

Sausage, Apple and Pecan Stuffing from Monica H

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• 1 tube breakfast sausage
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• 1 box (5 cups) Olivia's Cornbread Stuffing
• 2-3 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten

In a large pan, brown breakfast sausage over medium high heat, crumbling as you go. Once cooked, remove to a bowl, discard off excess fat.

In the same pan, melt one stick of unsalted butter. Cook carrots, celery, onion and apple until softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and add the box of Olivia's cornbread Stuffing to the veggie mixture. Stir then add chicken stock. Stir occasionally then let the stuffing rest for about 10-15 minutes to absorb all the liquid. Add more liquid if necessary. I added 3 cups but not too much because you don't want it soggy.

Once liquid has absorbed, sprinkle with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix together, taste and adjust if necessary.

Once the stuffing mix is to your liking, fold in one beaten egg to help bind it all together. Fold in pecans, reserving a few for the top.

Place stuffing into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Bake in a preheated oven 350 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes.

NOTE: Dried cranberries would be really good in this too!

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And for those of you interested, here are a few short videos of our trip to San Francisco and Sausalito, California. And as an added bonus, you get to see me being a dork :-)

Hope you enjoy them!