Old Fashioned Stuffing

This year was my first time to host Thanksgiving Dinner. Thankfully my mother and father flew down just in time for my mom to help me and guide me through making some of our family's favorite and traditional Thanksgiving dishes. I have never tried to make stuffing, and had heard that it is easier to cook it separate from the turkey, but with Mom's direction and little will power, I put my stuffing inside our turkey. I am glad I did because it was soooo moist and the juice from the turkey made it so much more delicious.

I realize there are a ton of variations for stuffing, but this is the recipe we used. I added in the Parmesan Cheese because it was suggested on the Stuffing package and loved how it added a slight cheesy flavor to the stuffing. Also the turkey sausage helped make the stuffing more moist and it was a great addition, also not on the original recipe.

Ashley and Mom's Old Fashioned Stuffing

1 1/2 cups chopped celery (3 stalks)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/ cup butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 package Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing Cubes
4 pieces of Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage, chopped into bite size pieces
1 to 1 1/4 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet cook celery, onion, and mushrooms in hot butter until tender but not brown. Add in the turkey sausage for one minute, enough to heat through. Remove from heat. Stir in sage and pepper. Place stuffing cubes in a large bowl and add the onions and celery. Drizzle with enough chicken broth to moisten, tossing lightly to combine. Stir in Parmesan Cheese.

Place stuffing in a 2 quart casserole dish and back uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until heated through.