Just Gotta Bake Recipe

• 1 1/2 pound loaf of crusty bread, cut into 1″ cubes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth, plus 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced ( I used a variety of shitake, crimini and button)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, 1/2″ dice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking dish (approximately 13″ x 9″). Cut the bread into 1″ slices, slice off the crust and then cut each slice into 1″ cubes. Place bread cubes in one flat layer, onto a parchment covered cookie sheet (I needed 2) and place into the oven for 10 minutes to dry out the bread. Set aside. 
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of chicken broth. Add the celery, onion and garlic a cook for 2 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and diced apples, and stir with wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper and parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until apples are soft and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. 
• Place dried bread cubes in a very large bowl. Add in the entire mushroom/apple mixture and toss all the ingredients together. Add the cherries and pecans. Then slowly begin to pour the 1 3/4 cups of chicken broth over this mixture, not adding all of it at once. You don’t want the stuffing to be too mushy, but you want the bread to soak up the chicken broth and soften. 
• Place this mixture into the greased baking dish and bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until the stuffing is heated through. If stuffing browns too quickly on top, tent it with some foil.