Merrie's Marvelous Stuffing!

This recipe came from my mother-in-law, who is one of the most excellent cooks I know. I have never had anything from her kitchen that hasn't been completely scrumptious! She tells me she uses this same recipe with long grain and wild rice instead of bread for a nice rice side dish. My dh and I absolutely love this!!! And as a bonus, you can make it up, stick it in the fridge, and bake it up to 24 hours later!

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  large onion
• 3⁄4 lb mushroom (quartered or sliced)
• 2  teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 1⁄4 cups  chopped celery
• 1  granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1⁄3 cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon dried sage
• 3⁄4 cup  cooked sausage, crumbles
• 11  cups  bread cubes
• 1⁄2 cup  chicken stock

Directions

1. Cook onion, mushrooms and rosemary in butter over med-high heat for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender.
2. Add celery and apple, cook for approximately 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Add parsley, thyme, sage, sausage, bread cubes and chicken stock. Stir till well-mixed. I tend to add a touch more of the herbs, just because we like them so much.
4. Put into baking pan and allow to cool (this is when you can wrap it up and put in the fridge if you're baking it later). **Note - if you want to cook this in the bird, allow it to cool before stuffing. Bake bird immediately after stuffing it.
5. Bake covered at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, remove cover and bake for 10 minutes more. **Note - if you are cooking something else at a higher or lower temperature, just adjust your cooking time for this - it's flexible.