Cornbread and Apple Stuffing

Sooooooooo, not sure what's up with me today but seems I'm in the MOOD to BLOG! Plus, I got to thinking about my cousin Sue's STUFFING made with CORNBREAD and APPLES and I thought, "that might go really well with the sweet n sour curry chicken that's simmering in my slow cooker!" Now this is JUST my gut instinct. I have not been cooking for years nor did I take any classes. I'm a newbie with an interest in cooking likely cuz it's creative and I have some good instincts. So, thinkin' that the apple in the stuffing will go nicely with the tang and sweetness of the mango chutney in the chicken. Hmmm. Let's give it a try.


First, I have to make the cornbread. I used Jiffy's Corn Muffin mix except I put it in a shallow baking pan one would use for brownies. That takes roughly 20 minutes to bake. Once that is done, I follow the remainder of the recipe. Hubbie is going to be ONE HAPPY MAN tonight!


Ingredients
Cornbread
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 small onion
2 red apples diced-Cortland or Granny Smith
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh sage
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup chicken broth
Ground pepper to taste
Apple cider or apple juice


Directions
When cornbread is cooled, crumble into rough chunks. Spread the chunks and crumbs out on a large baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crisp but not browned. Let cool. 


In the meantime, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Then add diced apples, garlic, sage and thyme, stirring for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, roughly 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add the toasted cornbread mixture to the apple mixture and toss to mix. Drizzle cider (or juice) and the remaining 
1/2 cup broth over the mixture and toss until evenly moistened. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until heated through, 35-40 minutes. 


For a crisp top, remove the foil for the last 15 minutes.