Recipe of the Week
Stuffin' Muffins
December 23, 2010

This is an adaptation of Rachael Ray's recipe. This is one of the few dishes that I don't make entirely from scratch … very unusual for my way of cooking. The rave reviews I always get for my stuffing make me feel justified in making this exception.

Basic Recipe for Stuffing:
*1 box Stove Top Stuffing for chicken (6 ounce box)
*½ lb ground pork sausage (mild works best for this recipe)
*¼ cup finely chopped carrots
*¼ cup finely chopped celery
*¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Brown the ground pork sausage in a Dutch oven. Pour the cooked sausage into a paper towel lined colander. Gather the edges of the paper towels and gently squeeze to remove as much of the oil as possible. Set aside in a bowl until ready to use.

Bring 1 ½ cups of water with 5 tablespoons of real butter to a boil.

Stir in the cooked pork sausage, carrots, celery and parsley and let it return to a boil.

As soon as it starts boiling, stir in the contents of the stuffing mixing pouch. Cover the pot immediately and remove it from the heat.

Let the covered pot rest for at least 5 minutes. This gives the breading enough time to completely absorb the moisture. Fluff the mixture with a fork, cover and let cool only until you can work with it using your bare hands.

To make the muffins:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls. Spray a muffin pan with a cooking spray or use cupcake liners to prevent sticking. Place one ball in each liner and bake until crispy. It will take approximately 10-12 minutes.

Arrange the muffins on a platter and serve with a side dish of giblet gravy. These muffins have the crispy muffin tops that are always desirable.