Wild Rice Stuffing

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Bring water, broth, and bay leaf to a boil. Add wild rice and cook for 45-55 minutes, or until rice is cracked and tender.

Drain rice into a sieve set over a large measuring cup. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the liquid. Set the liquid and the rice aside.

Lay the cubed bread out on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring and rotating sheets halfway through. Allow to cool. Raise oven temp to 350°F when you pull the bread out of the oven.

Melt half a stick of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a few minutes or until starting to become translucent. Add mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes until mushrooms start to brown. Add garlic and herbs and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add reserved rice liquid and stir deglaze pan. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine toasted bread cubes, wild rice, skillet mixture, celery, cranberries, pecans, scallions, and heavy cream.

Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan or large casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, and cool for 15 minutes before serving.