Semi Homemade with Jamie Kim!

I've been feeling real lazy these days and also been trying to get rid of all the dried goods in the cupboards. I had some super delicious artisanal sausages that were begging to be eaten, so I made some divine pork sausage stuffing! Um, um! Just look at that picture. Doesn't it make your mouth water? Could you guess it was semi-homemade? Probably yes, but who cares? Everybody knows Stovetop stuffing be one of the greatest American inventions of the century! Instant stuffing-wise, I really like both Pepperidge Farm and Stove Top. But for this recipe, I was forced to use Stove Top cause I be living in Paris at the moment and that's all we got. You could use either brand really.

Divine Pork Sausage Stuffing
FOR 3 (as a main course and the one and only course)
The package says the stuffing is for 6 people as a side dish. But who are they kidding, right? 2 of us ate the whole thing, with all the extra additions, and it was the perfect amount. But my posse be hogs so to split this as the main course among 3 seems plausible for the untrained stomach.

INGREDIENTS:
1 box of Stove Top stuffing
6 fresh artisanal pork sausage links, casings removed
7 pieces of dried cepe mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
2 carrots, chopped very fine
2 garlic cloved, chopped very fine
1 3/4 cups water
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:
Boil the water in a small pot. Then add the dried cepes and set aside till the mushrooms have been resuscitated. While the mushrooms are resting, chop the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. In a saute pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and cook all the chopped veggies and the thyme on medium/high heat for about 15 minutes. Remove the now moist mushrooms from the water and chop them into little pieces and add to the chopped veggies. Once the mushrooms have been removed from the water, add the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter and bring it back to a boil. In a big bowl, place the stuffing, then pour the buttery mushroom water on top and put a cover on top and let sit. Cook the sausages in a pan until completely cooked through. Cut the sausages into bite size pieces with a wooden spoon while its cooking. Once the stuffing has soaked up the liquid and looks spongy and moist, add all the sauted veggies, sausages and some freshly ground black pepper and mix all the ingredients with a fork. Work gently to keep the stuffing fluffy and serve immediately!