Cornbread Dressing
Two pans of cornbread dressing just came out of the oven, in ready for a Thanksgiving feast later this afternoon. The morning began with around fifteen balloons inflating below us and taking off with the wind. And, as soon as they lifted off we were in the kitchen preparing food for Thanksgiving Dinner.
My home life was the best any kid could hope of having. And, it didn't get much better in Oklahoma than during the Thanksgiving Holiday. The night before, Mom would finish preparing the cornbread dressing to cook the next day, and at midnight, put the turkey in the roaster to slow cook all night long. She would get up through the night to splash more butter on the bird, and I can tell you this, the aroma in the house was pure bliss. I can still smell the turkey cooking in our childhood kitchen as I write this.
When I moved away from Oklahoma in the eighties, I was sad that I could no longer sit at Mom's holiday table. So, I asked her to write down her recipe for turkey and dressing, just so I could have a bit of her love from far away. I've been preparing that meal for Thanksgiving ever since. It's a simple recipe, but is a favorite with my family to this day. Happy Thanksgiving!
CORNBREAD DRESSING
Ingredients for one 9x13 pan serving:
- 1 pan of cornbread, broken into crumbs
- 1 bag Pepperidge Farm Seasoned stuffing mix
- 5 ribs of celery chopped
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 5 eggs beaten.
- 4 cans of chicken broth
- 1 stick of butter
- Salt and pepper
Bake cornbread at least 2 days before Thanksgiving. Crumble and let dry in open pan.
- Combine the cornbread and and stuffing mix. Place the crumbled cornbread and stuffing mix in an extra large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the onion and celery in unsalted butter until soft, then add it to the cornbread mixture.
- Mix liquid ingredients. Whisk chicken broth, eggs, and poultry seasoning together.
- Combine dressing ingredients. Add the liquid egg mixture to the cornbread mixture, mix until thoroughly incorporated, and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Bake. Pour into a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish, then bake at 400 degrees, uncovered, until the dressing is set and golden brown. Baking time is 45-60 minutes.
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