Random Willynillyness Cooking Presents: Sage, Mushroom and Sausage Stuffing!

I make the BEST stuffing ever. Well, I make the best turkey, mashed potatoes as well. But today I am sharing my favorite stuffing recipe.

Remember I didn't grow up celebrating Thanksgiving so I came upon it late. I don't have old family recipes. Everything I learned about cooking Thanksgiving has been from TV cooking shows. I watched, I took notes then cooked.

I used to use Stove Top Stuffing. Now there is nothing wrong with Stove Top stuffing and I like it but there is nothing like homemade stuffing. I never tried to make until I saw somebody on the Food Network do it. It might have been Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay or Tyler Florence. I honestly can't remember. It was at least 15 years ago when I tried making stuffing for the first time.The thing I learned from watching the Food Network was that it wasn't that difficult to make your own stuffing. And my willy-nilly recipe is as easy as it gets.

First I saute some sausage. Any good pork sausage will do and if you want to be healthy, use turkey sausage. If you want to get really crazy, add bacon. Then I take onions, shallots and celery and add them to the sausage and soften. Once they are soft, I then take a little Vermouth to deglaze the pan. You can also use white wine or red wine. Then I add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste.

Then I take some chopped mushrooms and add them to the pan. Now I used 4 different types this time but if I can find more varieties, I add them. Saute everything together. I also add some butter as well. I then add some fresh sage and thyme and let it cook for a while.

I like using sourdough bread for my stuffing because it has a distinctive taste. But any bread will do. Ciabatta tastes really good too. Using different types of bread will also give you a good flavor. This year, I did sourdough and butter rolls. Anyway, I cut the bread into cubes and dump into a large bowl.

I then add a box of broth to the mixture on the stove, then I taste it to see if it needs more seasoning. I adjust the flavors then I dump it all into the bowl with the bread and mix it up real well. Now if it is too dry you can add more broth and/or vermouth. That's it. How easy peasy is that?

I stuff my bird so the stuffing will pick up some turkey juices. This year, I actually had and extra pan of stuffing that I cooked outside of the bird. To make it tastier, you can add some of the turkey juices to stuffing cooked outside.

It was so delicious and easy. Unless I am in a tremendous hurry, I always make my own stuffing. It's just one of those things that is delicious and not so much work that you can't make it yourself.

Buen Provecho!

Remember, to pop on over to Latina on a Mission and check out all of my other friends yummy Sabroso Saturday recipes! Delish!!!