Cooking light with rachael ray: toasted cornbread, bacon and chestnut stuffing

Ingredients

• Two 8.5-ounce boxes corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy (prepared with FAT FREE milk)
• One 14.5-ounce can (about 1-3/4 cups) LIGHT and FAT FREE chicken broth
• 1 cup FAT FREE half-and-half
• 2 large eggs
• 8 slices TURKEY BACON, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup slice almonds
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper

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Preparation

• Bake the cornbread according to the package directions. Allow time to cool, then break into 1-inch chunks.
• Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large baking dish, arrange the cornbread chunks in a single layer.
• Toast in the oven, stirring once, until golden, about 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, half-and-half and eggs.
• Fold in the cornbread, cover and let soak for 10 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.
• In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon until crisp at the edges, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon and do not rinse the skillet.
• Add the EVOO to the same skillet, then stir in the onion and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 10 minutes.
• Stir in the almonds, thyme and sage during the last minute of cooking. Stir in the cranberries, parsley, soaked cornbread and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover; let stand for 30 minutes (Do not rush this part. Wait the entire 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350°. Add the stuffing to a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Cover with greased foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake until golden, 15 minutes.