There are certain things in life that make me swoon to a whole new degree of swooning.
A wood burning fireplace, dates at the farmers market and making Christmas gifts are among them.
But if we are really going to dive into my love affairs...homemade cornbread is pretty high on that list. If not number one, it is definitely in the top 5 of swoon-worthyness.
Thanksgiving is a lovely holiday because it brings family together around the dinner table. Enjoying a meal with love ones without all the chaos of life bombarding you is pretty special. I challenge you to turn off those phones and be present in the moment with good food, laughs and love. It's such a simple concept that is probably pretty swoon worthy in my opinion.
With the comfort-food holiday season in full swing, this recipe here is calling your name. Thanksgiving is not only meant for loved ones but is meant to embrace some good old fashion cornbread lovin'.
Specifically cornbread made into croutons and thrown into a caramelized mushroom, tarragon and turkey sausage stuffing. Oh yeah, see what I did there? Somehow we managed to go from swooning, to family to cornbread to homemade stuffing. All these things tie together in my book and you should really find out why by whipping up this recipe for Thanksgiving.
There's also wine involved in case you needed a little extra push.
Ingredients
Cornbread Croutons
2 cups cornbread, chopped into small cubes
Olive oil
Stuffing
3 onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
Sea salt + black pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine (chardonnay)
1 Tbsp butter
8 turkey sausage links, casings removed and diced (about 1.5 lb - 2 lb of sausage)
Handful of fresh tarragon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Saute the onions and olive oil for your stuffing over medium high heat in a large pot or saucepan. Allow to cook and caramelize for roughly 20-25 minutes, stirring every now and then.
While the onions are caramelizing, toss your cornbread cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and spread out onto a greased or parchment lined baking dish. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Turn the oven off then let croutons cool while in oven 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of your stuffing. It's crucial to leave them in the oven so they get crispy!
Once the onions are done caramelizing, add in the mushrooms and sauté for about 10 minutes. They will appear crisp around the edges and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper then turn heat to high and pour in your white wine. Let stand for a few minutes then reduce heat to low, stir in your butter and place a lid over mixture so it can simmer for 10 minutes, then turn heat off.
While the mixture is simmering, cook the sausage in a large, greased saucepan for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Add the sausage to your mushroom mixture as well as the fresh tarragon and stir.You can either top the stuffing with the cornbread croutons as they are or crumble them on top so they appear as breadcrumbs.
Makes about 6 cups of stuffing.
More on this recipe HERE.