Cornbread Stuffing with Fresh Cranberries and Pecans

  I am in love with the Kenyon Mills Cornmeal and Corn Muffin Mix. This year it will also be taking a place on my Thanksgiving table. The other week I was playing around with recipes for a cornbread stuffing wanting to keep it simple but, also flavorful. With cranberries being a traditional fall favorite here in New England I knew they were a must and the pecan just add that perfect rich nutty flavor to balance it all out. 

Use the Kenyon's Corn Muffin Mix to make the either muffins or bread for the stuffing. You will be breaking them apart for the stuffing. 

Ingredients:

 6 cups of Cornbread broken apart into 1" pieces

 2 cups of Fresh Cranberries

2 cups of coarsely chopped Pecans    

 3 Ribs of Celery (chopped)

 2 Yellow Onions (diced)

 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)

 1 tbsp of fresh Rosemary

 1 tbsp of fresh Sage

 1/2 tbsp of Sea Salt

 1/4 tbsp of Fresh Ground Pepper

 1/4 cups of butter (chopped into small pieces)

 1/4 cup of Brown or Maple Sugar*

 1 cup Dry White Wine

 1 cup of Chicken or Turkey Stock

  Cut the cooled cornbread into 1" pieces, this does not have to be perfect. Spread the cornbread out onto two baking sheets and leave out over night to stale covered with a tea towel or in the oven. If you do not have time to leave the cornbread out overnight, or if you fear nibblers might be getting into your stock, you can bake the sheets of cornbread at 400* for 20 minutes. 

 For toasting the pecans: Warm a large skillet with 1/2 a tablespoon of butter over medium heat, once the butter is melted toss in the chopped pecan coating them with the melted butter. Once the pecan give off a nutty scent remove them from the heat and place them to the side to cool. 

 In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients mixing well with either a large spoon or spatula. Make sure to add the liquid in parts while gently mixing the stuffing as to not break up the corn bread or get it soggy. 

 The stuffing is best cooked inside of the Bird. Always remember to stuff the bird with room temperature stuffing right before putting it in the oven. Loosely stuff the bird's cavity, this with make the stuffing retain crispness and allow for better airflow while roasting.

For baking of the stuffing outside of a bird:

 Preheat Oven to 350*f. In a large shallow baking baking dish fill with stuffing and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the stuffing is browned and crisp on top.