[Dems_R_Losers]

My crowd-pleasing Southern style dressing recipe - demanded even by my yuppie gourmand sister-in-law and husband when we went to their house for Thanksgiving last year. It's a variation of the recipe in Martha Stewart's "Entertaining" book - I use almost all of her Thanksgiving recipes and they are fantastic. My family talks about this dressing all year long. This recipe makes a lot - I bake it in a large oblong cake pan. You might want to halve the recipe if you have a smaller family or don't want lots of leftover dressing. If you use it to stuff the turkey, do not add the broth, but add some to the remaining dressing and bake in a pan.

1 recipe cornbread, made the day before and cut into cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped pecans (if you have the time to toast them first, it is extra good, but if not, it is still good1)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 lb. mild pork sausage, cooked and well drained
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons dried herbs (I use a mix of thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and little white pepper)
1-2 cups chicken broth, heated (I use Swanson's low-sodium broth that comes in the box - Gourmet magazine just rated it the best.)

Saute the garlic, onion, and celery until onions are wilted. Add the apples and cook until apples are slightly softened. Combine with other ingredients except broth. (Stop here if you are stuffing the turkey.) Add just enough broth to moisten the mixture. Put into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Yummmmmm!!!!

[kcvl]

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
1 (5.1-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

Makes 20 servings.