Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

1 9 x 13 inch pan of cornbread, made a day ahead and cut into 1-inch cubes.
(May use 2 Appalachian Trail mixes or other recipe with good quality cornmeal.)
2 T. each, butter and oil
2 Cups Chopped Onions
4 Cups Chopped Celery with Leaves
1 LB. Mild Italian Sausage, bulk or if in links, pushed out of casings and crumbled
2 Tart Red Apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 rounded tsp.each: salt, dried thyme, dried sage
Plenty of Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Cup Tawny Port or Calvados (Apple Brandy)
1/2 Cup melted butter
3 Cups Chicken Broth (or homemade turkey or chicken stock)

Cooking Directions:

Heat butter and oil in 6 quart pot. Saute the celery and onions over low heat until softened, but not browned, 10 minutes. Set aside in separate bowl. In same pot on stove, mash and break up sausage with metal spatula until crumbled and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add apples to sausage, saute 5 minutes. Stir in the cubed cornbread, celery and onion. Sprinkle in herbs, salt and pepper. Toss lightly and add tawny port, melted butter and stock, mixing entire contents.

Stuffing is more than enough for a 20 lb. turkey. Put remainder of stuffing in covered oven proof pan and bake for 45 minutes.