Apple-Pecan Corn Bread Stuffing with Dried Cherries

I have made this stuffing several times and somehow I have yet to post the recipe. Sorry I've been so selfish. Do you think you could ever forgive me?

Apple-Pecan Corn Bread Stuffing with Dried Cherries

I am going to give you my exact recipe, and then give you a few options that will also work great! Like I said, I've made this several times, with several variations, and it's so delicious that you really can't mess it up. You will need to get the 14 oz bags of stuffing, even though you will only be using half of each. 

Apple-Pecan Corn Bread Stuffing with Dried Cherries

    serves 6-8

3 T butter

1 onion, chopped

7 oz corn bread stuffing*

7 oz herb seasoned stuffing*

2 apples, roughly chopped {I use gala}

1 C dried cherries

3/4 C chopped pecans

2 C chicken stock

Preheat oven to 325º. Spray a 9X13 dish and set aside. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked onion, two types of stuffing, chopped apple, dried cherries and pecans. Pour in the chicken stock and mix until stuffing is moistened by stock. Pour into prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake under broiler for a few minutes, or until the top gets golden brown. Serve.

Variations: Use dried cranberries in place of the dried cherries. They are equally delicious and still give that nice little tart flavor that the cherries give. Or, the Craisins brand even has a cherry flavored dried cranberry option that tastes great and is a little cheaper than regular dried cherries. I have used walnuts in place of the pecans before and that works nicely. I have also used golden delicious apples instead of gala. 

*You could of course use the whole bag of either the corn bread stuffing OR the herb seasoned stuffing. I really like the combination though because I like the corn bread flavor and the herb mix has great spices. Plus, this way, you will have the exact amount of stuffing for 2 full recipes. And the leftovers keep well. Just make sure to place them in a ziplock bag so they stay fresh. 

This dish re-heats really well and does not really dry out. That being said, if you feel like it does get a little dry, just add a little more chicken stock, stir and pop it back in the oven to re-heat. What am I talking about? There won't BE any leftovers!