Apple Cranberry Stuffing

My favorite ingredients strike again; I just love the combination of apples and cranberries. And this fall I’m definitely satiating my craving for them. For Thanksgiving I like to make two different kinds of stuffing, regular (onions, celery, bread and spices) and this apple cranberry version. Last year, Mr. Surly was a bit skeptical of the apple version but this year he was all about it. I have made a couple batches since Thanksgiving of this deliciousness.

When I make stuffing I don’t follow a recipe. I just throw everything together in ratios I like and bake it. I love stuffing. I also love how easy it is to make. Below is the general recipe I use.



Apple Cranberry Stuffing
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4 Tbl butter, plus a bit more for greasing the dish
1-2 apples, diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced
~1 tsp each*:
*marjoram
*basil
*thyme
*sage
pinch of rosemary
~ ½ c cranberries, fresh or frozen (thaw if frozen)
~4 c bread cubes
1-2 c vegetable (or chicken, or turkey) broth
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.

If you want, grease your glass or ceramic dish with butter. Set aside.

Add the bread cubes and cranberries to a large bowl.

Melt the 4 Tbl butter in a skillet and add the leeks. Sauté 2-3 minutes, then add the apple and spices. Cook until leeks and apples are softened, a few minutes. Pour over the bread crumbs and gently stir to moisten all the bread. Dump into baking dish and spread evenly. Pour about 1 to 1½ c broth over the bread. Put in oven, bake 15-20 minutes, remove, stir gently, then pop back in the oven to bake longer. I do this cook and stir process about 3 times, until I feel the bread is cooked to my preferred consistency, adding more broth if it seems dry. I like to get all my bread cubes nice and toasty brown. Let cool about 10 minutes, then enjoy.