Stovetop Stuffing

Ingredients

8 slices of bread
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of milk
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped*
8-10 button mushrooms, chopped*
1 stalk of celery, chopped*
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp sage
1 tsp rosemary
1 boullion cube*
Salt and pepper to taste

Note: I've made this dish twice. The first time, I didn't have parsley, sage or rosemary, so instead used Italian seasoning and basil. It lacked that traditional Thanksgiving taste -- especially without the sage -- but was still quite delicious. I recommend experimenting with spices. :) Ingredients marked with an asterisk are optional, although they improve the taste.

1. Cut stale bread into small, bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, put cut up the bread and leave it overnight to stale. (Note: The second time I made this dish, I lightly toasted each slice before leaving them to stale overnight. I feel that this improved the texture of the stuffing.)

2. Chop up your vegetables and sautee them in the olive oil with rosemary, sage and parsley until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent. Add butter.

3. After the butter has melted, pour in the water, milk and bullion cube. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

4. Add the bread cubes and mix so that the bread absorbs the liquid, fluffing with a fork.

5. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Wait 5-10 minutes before serving.