sausage and pecan rice stuffing

This is great. It is my own creation because I don't care for traditonal thanksgiving stuffing. I have been making it for about 5 or 6 years now. I've served it every Thanksgiving to large groups of people and everyone loves it! Even my brother-in-law who doesn't like pecans. It tastes great reheated for breakfast or lunch I've even used it to stuff the turkey!!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  lb  hot breakfast sausage
• 2  boxes  chicken rice pilaf mix
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped very fine
• 1⁄4 cup  apple juice
• 1⁄2 tablespoon real maple syrup
• 1  dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Crumble sausage brown over medium high heat until no longer pink inside.
2. Drain saving 2 Tablespoons of drippings and all of the brown bits.
3. Set sausage aside.
4. To drippings add chopped onion saute for about a minute.
5. Add pecans and saute for about 1 minute more.
6. Add half of the maple syrup and half of the apple juice.
7. Cook until reduce stirring often to keep from buning.
8. Set aside.
9. In same dish cook rice according to package instuctions.
10. After rice is done chop sausage VERY fine and stir sausage,pecans,onion,apple juice and maple syrup into rice.
11. Cook until all of liquid is gone stirring often to prevent burning.
12. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if desired.