"Kitchen Sink" Turkey Stuffing

When we had our first Thanksgiving together, we had a VERY lengthy discussion about what we thought the perfect stuffing should be. We each had very distinctive memories of what we thought had to be included to make it like the stuffing of our respective childhoods.

So, this creation is a combination of those things, and yes, it has a LOT of ingredients. But the result is a very complex and flavorful stuffing. We like to stuff the bird, because I love the juicy, melty stuffing from inside the turkey. This is very controversial these days, but you just have to remember that it adds on cooking time to your turkey.

Kitchen Sink Turkey Stuffing
1 pound pork sausage
1/2 cup butter
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
6 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped, roasted chestnuts
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
6 cups dried bread cubes

Brown sausage in a large pot, add butter, onions and celery and cook until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken stock, and stir in spices, and cook over low heat until celery is soft. While this is cooking, place remaining ingredients in a large bowl. When stock mixture is cooked, pour over bread mixture and stir together. Stuff turkey, or place in a large casserole dish and bake, covered at 350 for 1 hour. You may want to remove the cover for the last 20 minutes if you like the stuffing crunchy on top.