Chestnuts and Cornbread Stuffing

Nothing says a holiday meal like a good old-fashioned savory stuffing. This one is chalk full of nutritional benefits like onions, (anti-oxidants) celery, (lowers cholesterol), thyme, (anti-inflammatory), sage, (helps digestion) and the star of this recipe, chestnuts, a good source of fiber. This recipe is courtesy of www.epicurious.com.

Buttermilk Corn Bread:
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs

Buttermilk Corn Bread Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, oil, and eggs in large bowl to blend. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until blended.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
Additional Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups coarsely chopped chestnuts from one 16-ounce jar
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread on large baking sheet. Bake until dry but not firm, about 25 minutes. Cool. Coarsely crumble into very large bowl. Maintain oven temperature.
Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add to corn bread. Mix in 2 1/4 cups broth and herbs. Stir in chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in egg. Add up to 1/2 cup more broth if stuffing seems dry.
Transfer to prepared dish. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top begins to brown, about 30 minutes longer.