Is there a difference between stuffing and dressing? This recipe for a tasty sourdough, pears and sausage accompaniment bakes in a baking dish rather than being stuffed inside the Thanksgiving turkey -- but what you call it depends more on where you live than how the dish is prepared.

That's the view of the editors of Cooking Light, noted in a holiday feature in the magazine's November issue. "Stuffing" can be stuffed into the bird or baked alongside it in a separate dish, and the same holds true for the term "dressing," they write. "In the southern and eastern United States, people generally call it 'dressing,' a term that came about during the 19th century. Elsewhere, it's referred to as 'stuffing."'

In the following festive version of this important part of the holiday menu, there's a creative combination of familiar ingredients that will play a great supporting role to the rest of the Thanksgiving spread. Sourdough bread gives the stuffing a tangier flavor than French bread, but you can use the latter in a pinch. Note: You can make this dish ahead.

Sourdough Stuffing With Pears and Sausage

Ingredients

8 cups ( 1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 12 ounces)

1 pound turkey Italian sausage

Cooking spray

5 cups chopped onion (about 2 pounds)

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

8-ounce package presliced mushrooms

2 cups ( 1/2-inch) cubed peeled Bartlett pears (about 2 medium)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 F for 9 minutes or until golden. Place in a large bowl.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook for 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread cubes, tossing to combine. Set aside.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; saute 10 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Stir in pear, basil, tarragon and salt; cook 4 minutes or until pear begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pear mixture to bread mixture, tossing gently to combine. Stir in broth and pepper.

Place bread mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake stuffing an additional 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is crisp.

Makes 12 servings (serving size about 3/4 cup).

Note: This stuffing could be prepared up to 2 days ahead up to the baking stage. Store the stuffing, covered with foil, in your refrigerator. Bake as directed.