Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so is Christmas and New Year's....well basically all the important family gathering holidays. One of our family's most favorite items is my mother's cornbread dressing. I love to smell it when she's mixing the batter. I love when she asks me to taste test it for the seasoning balance (so does my sister). I love to smell it more when it's baking. And I beyond love eating it warm when it's just out of the oven. So it's definitely a recipe I had to call and ask for after moving away from home. This is a dish that never lasts long. It's one of the first items to get gone at big dinners. The great thing is that you don't have to cook a turkey or chicken and wait for the drippings in order to get a good dressing with this recipe. I can't wait to have this in just a few weeks. It's a recipe that I'm definitely THANKFUL for. Dressing:
Cornbread, crumbled (recipe for cornbread is at the bottom of this recipe)
16oz cream of chicken
about 8oz chicken broth (you'll need to eyeball this one)
pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
sage, to taste
half of an onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
2 eggs
(If you're already plotting and planning to use some leftover Jiffy cornbread for this recipe, you may as well stop reading here. You are also banned from any further reading of the blog. There is no hope for you. Please, as much as I love a Jiffy pancakes, Jiffy mix has no business taking part in this recipe.)Ok, ok. Back to the task at hand.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9in pan. Mix all of these ingredients except the eggs in a large bowl. As you add salt, pepper and sage pinches at a time, mix and taste until you find the right combination for you . (I should have to remind you, but if you plan on sharing this dressing, please do not lick a spoon and dip it back into the batter. That's just nasty. Be sanitary about it.) The mixture will be lumpy. It should also smell fabulous. As far as the broth goes, you'll need to "eyeball" how much to put in. You don't want the mixture to be too dry nor too soupy. It should be thick and super moist. Once you're satisfied with the seasoning, add the eggs. Mix well. (It'll still be lumpy.) Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Now, some of you may be asking if you can do this as a stuffing? I suppose that you can. But I ask, why stuff all this goodness up a dead bird's butt, when you can just have it clean out of a pan? It's up to you.
Cornbread:
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup whole milk OR buttermilk (depends on your taste preference but regular milk will work better for dressing)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp of Crisco all-vegetable shortening (DO NOT USE vegetable oil!)
1 egg
Preheat the over to 325 degrees. Put the 2 tbsp of Crisco all- vegetable shortening in the pan. Put it in the oven to melt. In a med-lrg bowl mix the cornmeal and sugar together. Add the milk. Stir. Add the egg. Stir/whisk it until the batter is smooth and not lumpy. Once the shortening has melted to hot grease, remove the pan from the oven. Pour your batter into the pan. Return the pan to the oven. Let it bake for about 25 minutes or until it's golden brown and all the edges have drawn away from the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting/serving.
I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine. If ever my mom doesn't bring the dressing, there is certainly an uprising. And it's not pretty.
~Until again~
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