Wild Rice Stuffing (w/ Cranberries, Pecans, Fresh Herbs and all kinds of deliciousness!))

The holidays are coming!  And I am oh, so excited for them this year!

Adding to my excitement, Jeff and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at his house this year for my parents and a couple friends.  I've helped my mom prepare the meal for years and my old roommates and I used to put on a Thanksgiving meal for friends, but I've never actually been the hostess for the whole meal before.  Of course, I do have a partner in crime!  I've been trying to decide whether to rely on some tried and tested family-favorites or bust out and try some new things.  Regardless of which way I go on other dishes, one dish will not be changed.  And that is my Wild Rice Stuffing.  A friend of mine shared the recipe with me a few years ago and it has become my family's staple stuffing recipe.  It is gluten-free but even my family members that don't need to eat GF, really enjoy this.  It is nutritious and colorful and full of flavor!

Here you go!

Wild Rice Stuffing (w/ Cranberries, Pecans, Fresh Herbs and all kinds of Deliciousness)

1 32oz container of chicken broth

1 cup wild rice (uncooked)

1 1/4 cups brown rice (uncooked)

1 stick butter (I sometimes sub with olive oil, but butter gives a richer flavor)

1 sm. yellow onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh sage

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup dried cranberies

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- In a large pot, bring the broth and 2 cups of water and rice to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice is cooked (about 45 minutes to an hour).

- In a large skillet, melt butter and cook onion and celery for 10 minutes.

- Add cooked veggies to rice, along with herbs, nuts, cranberries, salt and pepper.  Stir.

- Transfer to a buttered casserole dish.

- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

- Voila!

One year, I add some Italian Sausage to this recipe when I brought it to a Thanksgiving potluck at work.  It definitely added richness to the dish.  I like it just fine without it.  But consider it an option if you like sausage in your stuffing.

Also, don't fudge on the fresh herbs for this and try to sneak in dried ones instead.  The fresh herbs add beautiful color and bright, vivid flavor!

Hope you enjoy a lovely holiday season!