Cranberry Herbed Dressing

This is amazing!  (And in this recipe, Vegetarian!)

Cranberry Herbed Dressing
What You Need:
Breads:
1 loaf French Bread
1 loaf Wheat Bread
1 loaf White Bread
1 bag Croutons
3 cans Vegetable Stock (can use chicken)

Spice Mixture:
2 tsp Rubbed Sage
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 tsp Ground Savory
1/2 tsp Granulated Onion
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Vegetable Mixture:
2 sticks Butter
1 stalk Celery, minced
2 large Onions, minced
4 large Carrots, minced
1 cup Craisins

To start, pull the bread into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces and place into a large pan (I use the roaster pan that is also used for large turkeys/ meals).  Next, sprinkle with the seasonings and let this sit over night.  By letting the bread sit over night it will get stale, which is best to absorb the flavors added the next day!

After the bread has sat over night, we are going to start building tihs awesome dressing!   In a large skillet, melt the butter and vegetables together (not the craisins).  This will need to cook down for at leat 45 minutes, to sweatout the aromatic flavors and turn the vegtables translucent.  At this point, we can add the vegetable stock and bring to boil.  When at the boil, remove from heat ad pour over the bread and seasoning mixture.  This point is hands on!  Stir and toss the bread and seasonings with you hands until evenly coated, then add the craisins.

You can now use this to:
1.  Stuff your turkey/ chicken
2.  Bake covered for 25 minutes (in a baking dish )at 375 degrees to serve (fluff with a fork)
3.  Turn into Stuffing Balls -- Which are a great finger food!

To stuff the bird, simply press the stuffing into the breast cavity in place of your aromatics.  Add 1 1/2 - 2 hours to the baking time for your bird.

Baking the dressing lets the bread heat through and is delicious -- A great traditional side for gravy and mashed potatoes!

Stuffing Balls are a personal favorite!  Form the dressing into bals with your hands and bake on a grese baking sheet for 25-30 minutes.  These are fantastic for leftovers, because you can grab it and eat it!  No utensils requred!

Either way, this is fabulous stuffing.  If vegetarian, use organc mushroom gravy or vegan brown gravy to top off a wonderful feast!

Enjoy, and Happy Holiday Baking!

XOXO,

Aimee