Turkey Day Stuffin'

This year I am making the Turkey Day stuffing.  To me the stuffing is absolutely the most critical part of the feast.  A bad stuffing can ruin any Thanksgiving dinner!  Last year, for example, my stuffing was WAY to sweet and ruined the bird and the dinner.  This year I am determined to redeem myself.  I have searched far and wide to find a stuffing fit for the bird that sacrificed himself for my enjoyment.  I remembered a stuffing my step-mom made a few years back.  I was able to procure this recipe (and her modifications) and made a few modifications of my own on the fly at the store...which is no easy task while being trailed by a 2 and 1/2 year old with 2 purses who stops to play dress up in the middle of The Teeter.  Well I will post pics as I go...Wish me luck all you faithful followers out there....
Serves 12
Prep:30min, Stand:24hrs.  Bake:45min


8 tablespoons butter, plus more at room temperature for pan and aluminum foil
1 loaf Italian bread round torn into bite-size pieces
1 loaf Pumpernickle bread round torn into bite-size pieces
3 medium onions, chopped
(3 Celery Stalks if you desire...I can not stant that stuff so I cook without it.)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 Large Fuji apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, and cut crosswise into thin slices
32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth
12 oz Vegitable Stock
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh sage
12 oz
5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. Arrange bread in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake until dried, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions (and celery if desired) season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add apples; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; reserve saucepan.

2.In same saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat; set aside.

To onion-apple mixture, add bread, sage, cranberries, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Add half the broth and toss to combine.

Continue adding broth and tossing just until stuffing is moistened but not wet.

3.Spoon stuffing into prepared baking dish; cover with buttered aluminum foil and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Place covered baking dish in oven (375), and bake until warmed through, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

*NOTE:  Add more liquid than you think.  My dressing tasted GREAT!  But was not a "dressing" consistency.  It was more like lots of fantastic pieces in a bowl, not lots of fantastic pieces all meshed perfectly together.