I pretend to be tired of Frozen.  After endlessly watching the movie, reenacting the scenes, and listening to the soundtrack…after stocking a wardrobe with Frozen attire and filling a playroom with Frozen toys… I realize that another dramatic interpretation of “Let It Go” by our beloved 4 year old should send me screaming in search of sanity.  The terrifying truth is… I am not tired of Frozen… or the Little Mermaid, or Tangled, or Beauty and the Beast, or Cinderella.  

I do understand how totally crazy and completely inappropriate so many of these princess stories are for our kids.  I mean – I am desperate to raise well-rounded, competent, compassionate, intelligent, and independent, young women who are prepared to tackle the complexities of a global society that honors and respects equality and social responsibility.  But… I feel the love and really can’t shame the obsession of Disney princesses.    I am so thankful for Elsa and Anna who make me feel a little less guilty about our love of princesses.   

Turns out this may be the strangest intro to… I made another Frozen cake and learned some new tricks to simplify my cake decorating!  

Here are three great cake hacks that helped simplify my cake decorating, so I could get everything done in one night:

1. Forget the fondant and frost with buttercream (sometimes)!
   I read about the VIVA paper towel method for smoothly icing a cake, but didn’t think it would actually work.  Turns out… those soft, white, pillowy paper towels are just perfect for smoothing out your buttercream!  This was my first attempt and it still needs work, but I can’t wait to try it again, and again, and again!  Frost Me Up has a great video tutorial to get you started!  As a wannabe cake decorator, this frosting method saved me a lot of time and money!  (check out all those exclamation points!)
2. Pearl dust! (AKA edible glitter)
   Wilton Pearl Dust (available at Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s, Amazon, etc.) is fabulous for adding a little sass and hiding imperfections.  As I mentioned this was my first attempt at the VIVA paper towel frosting method, so it was definitely not perfect by any means.

3. Not everything has to be edible.
   I love the challenge of making everything on a cake edible, but I am trying to simplify and let’s be serious – no one is actually going to eat a fondant Elsa, a gumpaste Anna, or an Olaf made out of modeling chocolate.  I cleaned our Frozen figurines and topped the cake.  I actually got out two bowls, one with soapy water and one with clean water, and had our 3-year-old Samantha give Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven baths, which she thought was pretty much the greatest thing in the world!

Confession of a *wannabe* everything… I’m sure it would be super helpful to see before and after pictures of icing a cake using a VIVA Paper towel, but I blew it!  You can see pretty great documentation of the paper towel trick Frost Me Up.

Welcome to the new Ciao Annie!

I started this blog several years ago with grand ideas of perfecting and documenting all my favorite recipes, complete with well-written stories, precise recipes and gorgeous photos.  Oh how my life has changed over the past four years!  

I started researching successful blogging techniques and even took a fabulous one day Alt Summit webinar to figure out how the hell to stay motivated, consistent, and actually follow through with the whole idea of posting on a regular basis.   I have scraps of paper with scribbled recipes stashed all over the house, and I don’t dare ask Allen about all the unused photos filed on our computer, but completing an actual post… just doesn’t happen.   The ideas are totally there, but apparently I have no motivation to follow through.  

Upon further research and investigation… it turns out…  for many of my favorite blogs… the writers are single, have no kids and/or do not have additional work responsibilities outside of blogging or staying home with kids.   Initially I felt totally discouraged… and insanely jealous… mostly insanely jealous… blogging as a career… amazing (I realize it is hard work, but from the outside… just amazing)!  It seems like it may be pretty unrealistic for me to start a “successful” blog at this stage in my life, at least according to conventional methods!

1.  My food isn’t always unique, organic, easy, vegetarian, healthy, decadent, 5 ingredients or less, slow cooked, etc.  My cooking style is all across the board, which makes it difficult to define a particular niche.  I get this.  We all love blogs with consistency.  I love that I know just where to go for great light recipes, vegetarian recipes, dessert recipes, one pot recipes, etc.  I just don’t want to commit to one style, because that is not how I cook or how we eat!

2.  I don’t want to make the time commitment necessary, at this stage in my life, to consistently create beautiful food, amazing photos, and clever posts.  I do work full time, have two fabulous kiddos, and try (not-so-successfully) to maintain about a million hobbies.   Needless to say, I’m just  not ready to give up my family time, friend time, crafting, party planning, books, or favorite TV shows to focus on cooking.  (Okay, the books may be a stretch, I have been reading Go Set a Watchman for literally (ha… pun pseudo intended) the past 7 months).

I do, however, love the idea of blogging, so what the hell, I’m trying again (for like the 15th time)!  I’m hoping this blog will be my motivation to stop talking about all my great party, recipe and project ideas and get down to business!

While I absolutely love and value my favorite blogs, I am determined to find the middle ground between the over-the-top party plans that require a second mortgage and the simplified party plans that stress ease and simplicity.  While I definitely want recipes that will make my friends and family excited to eat at our place, I am not competing for a spread in Bon Appetit or a show on the Food Network.  As we continue unpacking and organizing (two years later), I want to settle into a comfortable style and personalize our home, but I don’t really need to please anyone except those of us actually living here!  And… there have to be some other moms out there who aren’t always basking in the glow of motherhood or constantly bitching about spilled milk and other unfortunate consequences of crazy kids in the house (unless it is breastmilk… then the bitching is totally warranted).  

My party plans, recipes, crafts and thoughts won’t always be perfect, but let’s be honest… neither is my life!  

Confession of a *wannabe* blogger… While I do hope that others will read my blog, relate, try new recipes, and explore new DIY projects, it turns out the new plan for this blog is self motivation.

Seriously… this is a crunchy chocolate crust, filled with an ooey gooey sweet caramel, topped with a slightly bitter chocolate ganache and dusted with salt. Amazing. There are several steps to this recipe, which each require cool time, but it is definitely worth the effort! Read through the entire recipe to make certain you have plenty of time prior to serving. While the cool times may be several hours, each step only takes a few minutes to complete.

Try this… your loved ones will thank you!

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… I had every intention of making a special treat for my lovely non-chocolate eating, Allen. Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to make it happen this week, so not only am I a *wannabe* foodie tonight, I am also a *wannabe* sweet wife. There is always next year, right? (shame)

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart
Adapted from Saveur

Crust
10 Tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup dark cocoa powder
1 ½ cup of flour
½ tsp kosher flake salt

Caramel
1 ½ cups sugar
⅓ cup water
3 Tbsp corn syrup
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cream
6 Tbsp unsalted butter

Chocolate Ganache
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

Bake the Crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.

Add the cocoa powder, flour and flake salt and beat on low speed until combined.

Press the crust evenly in the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill the unbaked dough in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, depending on your patience. Use a fork and poke the bottom of the crust.

Bake the chilled crust for 15 minutes and let cool.

Make the Caramel
In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, stir together sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns golden brown and a candy thermometer reads 350 degrees. Make sure the candy thermometer does not sit on the bottom or side of the pan. Quickly stir in the cream and salted butter.

Pour the caramel into the chocolate crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.

Make the Chocolate Ganache
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. As soon as the cream begins to simmer, remove from the heat, and pour over the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Allow the cream to melt the chocolate and stir the mixture until smooth and creamy. Pour the chocolate ganache over the chilled caramel.

Let the tart cool until the chocolate sets.

Dust the tart with kosher flake salt and serve slightly chilled.

I had to try those blue ice shards!  Seriously.

Turns out simple sugar candy is surprisingly easy and the shards turned out great!  We also created a simple vinyl stencil to put over one of the shards, and then scratched the surface with sandpaper to create the etched 5.  I say “we,” because that was actually both Allen’s idea and execution.

I made a simple ice cream cake, frosted with Cool Whip, and then kept the decorations simple to show off the shards.

Fairly simple and definitely fantastic!

You can alter the amount of ingredients in your ice cream cake  depending on how many people you need to serve, available space in your freezer, and the size of your bowl.  I did have a huge bowl, so I just went to town.

Confession of a *wannabe* cake decorator…. Sometimes while brainstorming, you find an idea that is so fantastic, there aren’t many improvements to make! Thanks Bubbly Nature Creations for such amazing inspiration.

Easy Ice Cream Cake
INGREDIENTS:
1 gallon vanilla ice cream – softened (large tub)
1 gallon chocolate ice cream – softened (large tub)
3 cups crushed Oreos (approximately ⅔ a package)
Hot Fudge
Cool Whip

Line a large bowl with plastic wrap (my bowl required two long sheets to cover the entire bowl).

Spoon the softened vanilla ice cream into the bottom of the bowl (this will ultimately become the top).  Put the ice cream back in the freezer, for 3-4 hours until firm.

Spoon the hot fudge over the vanilla ice cream and spread a smooth layer of fudge over the ice cream.  You may need to slightly warm the hot fudge to help it spread smoothly.   Spinkle the crushed oreos evenly over the hot fudge.  Spoon the  chocolate ice cream over the hot fudge and oreo layer.  Return to the freezer to harden overnight.

Remove the ice cream cake from the freezer, and dip in hot water for a few seconds, to soften the ice cream along the outer edges.  Invert the bowl onto your serving plate and coax the ice cream cake out  by gently pulling on the plastic wrap.  Remove the plastic wrap and place the cake back in the  freezer to harden.

Once the ice cream cake sets again (1-2 hours), remove from the freezer and ice the cake with Cool Whip.

I used a spatula and made broad strokes upward to create the wispy snow peaks (or my interpretation of wispy snow peaks).

Sugar Ice Shards
Adapted from Bubbly Nature Creations

INGREDIENTS:
3 ¾ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups light corn syrup
1 cup water
Blue & Teal Wilton gel food coloring (2-3 drops of each)

Grease the bottom of a cookie sheet.

In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup and water.  Affix a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan (they are fairly cheap and totally worth it).   Make sure the candy thermometer is not resting on the bottom of the pan.  Bring the sugar mixture to a bowl until it reaches 300 degrees.

Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the food coloring.  Pour the  sugar mixture into the greased cookie sheet and let harden (1-2 hours).

Once the sugar hardens, gently drop the cookie sheet to crack the candy and create the ice shards.

Happy World Nutella day!

It is so cold and snowy in St. Louis these days, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to warm up the oven for these ultimate comfort brownies.

I am always looking for any excuse to bake and celebrate!

These Nutella brownies are a fantastic way to celebrate the merging of two cultures!  Combining chewy chocolaty American brownies, with creamy delicious hazelnut Italian Nutella, is a fantastic tribute to our culinary and cultural histories.  The Nutella flavor is somewhat subtle in these brownies, so don’t forget the chopped hazelnuts to really amplify the chocolate hazelnut goodness!

Bake, eat, share, love!

Nutella Brownies
adapted from from Buns in My Oven

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 cup Nutella
4 large eggs
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 cups chopped dry roasted (unsalted) hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 13x9x2 inch glass pan.

Melt butter in a medium/large saucepan, over medium low heat.  Add the sugar and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the Nutella.

Stir in the eggs, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and hazelnut and vanilla extracts to the butter-sugar mixture.  Stir vigorously until thoroughly combined.

Slowly add the flour and stir until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts.

Spread the batter into the greased 13x9x2 glass pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… How long can I justify celebrating World Nutella Day… a day… a week… a month?!?

February 5 is officially World Nutella Day.  World Nutella Day.

Let’s take a minute to let that set in.

One glorious day when the whole world unites to celebrate the smooth, creamy, chocolaty, hazelnut goodness that is Nutella.  One day to look beyond our political, religious, and economic differences to indulge, in solidarity, in one celebrated snack spread.

I will never forget my introduction into the world of Nutella, in 1998, during a spring break trip to Spain to visit my sister.  I shortly thereafter spent an entire year immersed in the Nutella motherland of Italy.  Nutella smeared on crusty bread, Nutella oozing out of warm croissants, Nutella churned into creamy gelato, Nutella encased by pillows of fried dough, oh the delicious Nutella.

When I first returned to the good old midwest, I could only find Nutella in the specialty Italian grocery stores, in the St. Louis Italian neighborhood, The Hill.  Now, almost 15 years later, there are several different brands of chocolate-hazelnut spread available in our local grocery stores.  A jar of Nutella proudly accompanies the peanut butter in my pantry and frequently sneaks it’s way into my baked goods, hot chocolate, and coffee.

This super-easy Nutella coffee creamer is fantastic motivation to crawl out of bed in the morning and the perfect treat to curl up with on the couch to enjoy a good book or an episode of Parenthood.  I am officially prepared for World Nutella Day with a fresh batch of Nutella creamer chilling in the fridge.

My roots may be firmly planted in the land of peanut butter, but I am so grateful that my branches have grown into the world of Nutella.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups skim milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
½ cup Nutella
2 teaspoons hazelnut extract (optional, but totally worth it)

In a small saucepan, over low heat, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined.

That’s it!

Sweeten your coffee to taste and refrigerate the remaining creamer.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… This post should really be about Allen’s ability to photograph the steam from my coffee… I have a feeling that was way more complicated to execute than this creamer!

Supper Club

Supper Club is the greatest invention on the planet and, while I am obviously biased, I think our supper club is one of the best… seriously.

The plan is simple (other than the collaborating of calendars!). There are 10 of us that participate in Supper Club and we are split into 5 pairs. For each meal, each pair is responsible for a course: drinks, appetizers, soup/salad, main course, and dessert. The host cooks the main course and gets to select the theme. The theme is announced between the main course and the dessert course of the previous supper club.

Our Supper Club been going strong for well over 6 years. If you can imagine, after 6+ years, we have exhausted the standard supper club staples of international cuisines and key ingredients. Fortunately, this is a pretty creative and adventurous club that continues to select unique themes that, while occasionally challenging, are always unique, tasty and delicious.

This past week was our turn to host. Our theme was “Brought to you by the Letter C,” which we quickly adapted to “Courtesy of the Character C.”

While I realize “Courtesy of the Character C” may be a supper club theme that only appeals to those of us with last names that begin with C, here are a few highlights to get you thinking! I love using a few simple standards to sass up a themed event (sorry for the alliteration… still in “C” mode): an invitation, great food, a playlist, coordinating attire, a centerpiece and a photo opp.

Supper Club Invitation

INVITATION:
I am having fun playing in Microsoft Word layering images, so I created a Cheesy, Circle, Crimson, Chevron, invitation in Cursive.

MENU:
The food during most supper club extravaganzas is amazing, but this menu was particularly impressive and delicious! I love that I have friends who are such creative cooks!

Crown Pork Roast

Drinks:
Cranberry Cosmopolitans
Caipirinhas
Captain & Coke
Coors Light
Corona 
Options of both red or white wine beginning with C

Appetizers:
Creamy Chipotle Cheese Dip with Cherry Tomatoes, served with a Combination of Colored Corn Chips in a Colander and
Cajun Chicken Wings with Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Soup/Salad:
Creole Style Corn, Crab & Cod Chowder with Chive Oil, Chili Oil and Cayenne Cheddar Coins

Roasted Lemon Garlic Cauliflower

Main Course:
Crown Roast (of Pork) with Cranberry, Cortland & Cornbread Stuffing
Crispy Cruciferous Cauliflower with Citrus, Cheese & Chopped Chives
Cornbread with Caramelized Onions & Cortlands

Dessert:
Chad’s Chewy Chipotle Chocolate Chip Cookies

FUN:
In order to emphasize the ridiculousness of the theme, we created a Spotify playlist featuring artists that begin with C. From the Counting Crows to The Clash, I can honestly say that I had no idea that there are so many recording artists that include “C.”

Supper Club Critics Corner

We rarely put stipulations of the theme, because it is always fun to see what surprises arrive! I love that I was not the only one dressed in a cobalt, color block shirt, with a cardigan, cuffed cropped pants, and chains. We had collared shirts, Chinese cuff links, a charcoal cashmere sweater, a cowl neck, a cranberry cardigan, Converse shoes, both camel and chelsea boots, Cardinals champion attire, and even a cummerbund!

I did have grand plans for a tablescape, but it turns out china, cutlery, and crimson and cream carnations were perfect… the food really was the centerpiece!

CRITICS CORNER:
I love that my friends indulge my crazy (really their crazy too… at least some of them). The intention was to seat each pair in the critics corner to critique each dish (preferably using C adjectives, written in chalk, on chalkboard coasters… that may have been indulging just my crazy). Turns out the Caipirinhas and Coors Light were surprisingly tasty with the Caribbean Chicken wings, so the critics corner turned into a fantastic photo bench. Each pair was awarded a circle, crimson, chevron award, with the fabulous hosts (obviously) winning “Best of Everything.”

Best Drinks… I mean Dressed

Confessions of a *wannabe* party planner… I never seem to be able to execute all of my ideas, so I just remind myself that ultimately no one else notices or cares! While I wish I had just a bit more free time… I do what I like to keep it fun and ultimately forget the rest (or at least put it on a list for a future party or project)!

Roasted Lemon Garlic Cauliflower

I am a firm believer that pretty much any vegetable is delicious tossed with a bit of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and roasted. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and even cauliflower. The theme for our Supper Club was “Courtesy of the Character C,” and I could not pass up the opportunity to serve Crispy Cruciferous Cauliflower with Citrus, Cheese & Chopped Chives!

This roasted cauliflower really is delicious and keeps everyone in our house happy, even our 2 year old daughter.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… It is tough for me to willfully choose to roast any vegetable other than Brussels sprouts. I would eat roasted brussels sprouts everyday, if my family would let me. I am happy to be expanding beyond my Brussels sprouts obsession to include other cruciferous vegetables!

ROASTED LEMON GARLIC CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1½ inch florets
3 Tbsp of olive oil
4 cloves of sliced garlic
juice from 1 lemon (approximately 2 Tbsp)
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
chopped chives or parsley, for garnish

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss the cauliflower with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a baking dish.

Place the baking dish in the oven and roast for approximately 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and toss with the grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives or parsley.

Pork Crown Roast

I am seriously intimidated by cooking large cuts of meat indoors. My intimidation definitely comes from my lack of experience. With only two adults at home… a roast is a serious dinner party gamble or left-over meal commitment. We do a lot of barbecuing, pan-cooking, soups/stews, and meatless meals, but it is time…

I realize that I could have started with a pot roast roast, roast chicken, or roast beef, but in honor of supper club and our new dining room table, I decided to conquer a crown roast of pork. I called a local butcher a few days in advance to prepare the crown roast, and had a great experience in St. Louis with Kenrick’s Meat Market.

What a beautiful and impressive presentation of a tasty cut of meat! The crown roast was surprisingly easy to prepare and a great choice for a dinner party. The majority of my work in the kitchen was actually done a few hours before our guests even arrived!

In addition to the beautiful presentation and fairly easy prep work, this pork was delicious!

The pork was flavorful and tender and the pureed pan sauce was perfect.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… I am paranoid to serve under-cooked meat, but I am also paranoid to serve overcooked meat. Use a thermometer to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the pork and trust that the pork is done once it reaches 140 to 145 degrees F.

PORK CROWN ROAST WITH CRANBERRY, APPLE & CORNBREAD STUFFING
Adapted from The Food Network
Serves 12-15

PORK INGREDIENTS:
10 lb pork crown roast (prepared by butcher)
2 Tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp finely chopped sage
1 Tbsp finely chopped thyme
½ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp ground pepper
½ cup olive oil
salt

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
10 lb pork crown roast
4 cloves of garlic (smashed)
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
½ fennel bulb, diced
4-5 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
2 bay leaves
Salt

PREP:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Arranged the pork crown roast in a roasting pan large enough that the meat does not touch the sides. Generously sprinkle the roast with salt, including the sides.

In a small bowl mix together the finely chopped garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, red pepper and olive oil.

Coat the roast with the with the herb and olive oil mixture (including the center).

Arrange the garlic, diced vegetables, and bay leaves around the outside of the roast. Pour 4 cups of chicken stock and the wine over the vegetables.

Stuff the top of the crown roast with your favorite stuffing. I highly recommend the Cranberry, Apple and Cornbread Stuffing.

Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast and place the pork in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F and cook for an additional 2-2½ hours, until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140-145 degrees.

Remove the pork from the oven and carefully remove the roast from the pan (a sturdy spatula and tongs worked well). Place the roasting pan, with the remaining vegetables and pan juices, on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes. Blend the remaining sauce until smooth and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Cranberry Apple Cornbread Stuffing

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a dining room table!  We also have an amazing cornbread, cranberry and apple stuffing that was definitely worthy of the inaugural meal at our new table.

One of the most exciting things about moving into a house with more space was the prospect of comfortably hosting dinner parties with friends and family.  I am not going to say that we ever let a small house stop us from cramming our previous home in the name of a good party, but I anxiously awaited the day to seat friends and family around a large dinner table for a comfy and tasty meal.

As we unpacked our boxes and started to get the lay of our new land, Allen decided that he wanted to build our dining room table.  I instantly agreed and immediately began to romanticize how this table would hold and cherish our family history.  Our friends and family would gather around this table to share amazing food, beautiful stories, and endless laughter for holidays, birthdays, dinner parties, sleepovers, and more for years and years to come.   This table that would proudly be passed down from generation to generation.

I could not wait to get started…. I should clarify…. I could not wait for Allen to get started!

While Allen’s dad has some experience woodworking, this would be Allen’s first project.  We eagerly designed a table for our new dining room, to seat as many people as possible within our space.  Our final design was 8 feet by 4 feet.  I think it is safe to say that both Allen and I *may* have underestimated the scale of this project!

I can take no credit for the actual construction of the table, but I am happy to report that after 5 months, countless hours, and many lessons learned, the table is complete!  Not only is the table complete, but it is fabulous!

The inaugural dinner at our new table was also amazing!  We hosted our Supper Club and each course was impressively delicious.  We prepared the main course, and I instantly fell in love with this cranberry, apple and cornbread stuffing.  Both savory and sweet this stuffing would pair fantastically with poultry or pork.  It is perfect for the holidays or as part of a warm and hearty winter meal!

CRANBERRY, APPLE & CORNBREAD STUFFING
Serves 12-15

INGREDIENTS:
16 cups cubed cornbread
1 lb pork sausage
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups diced celery (5 ribs)
2 cups diced onion (2 medium onions)
1 ½ cups diced carrots (2 large carrots)
2 Tbsp finely chopped sage
1 Tbsp finely chopped thyme
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
5  cups diced Granny Smith apples, peel on (5 medium apples)
2-3 cups chicken broth

PREP:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cube cornbread and set aside.

In a large pan, over medium high heat, brown the sausage.  Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon and place on a plate with a paper towel to drain some of the excess grease.

Once the sausage is removed, add the butter to the remaining drippings in the pan.  Once the butter is melted, add the onions, celery, carrots, herbs, salt and pepper.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Then add the chopped apples and cranberries and cook until the apples begin to soften slightly, about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl (I had to use my roasting pan), combine the cubed bread crumbs, sausage, and vegetable/apple mixture.

Slowly drizzle the chicken stock over the stuffing to moisten.  Continue to stir and drizzle until the entire mixture is moist, but not soggy.

Spoon the stuffing into a baking dish.  Bake covered for 30 minutes; uncover and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Confession of a *wannabe* foodie… I had every intention of baking the cornbread to use in this stuffing.  As I passed the bakery section of my local grocery store and caught 2 packages of pre-made cornbread staring at me longingly from the shelf, I decided the shortcut would probably be worth it and tossed them in the cart.  Totally worth it.