Cornbread Dressing
Yield: 12 big servings and some for leftovers
Cornbread dressing has been a holiday tradition all my life. I remember Nina making the cornbread and biscuits several days before Thanksgiving or Christmas. They would sit out on the counter in the kitchen for a few days to stale. She would roast the turkey in an electric roaster, then pull the turkey out and use all that juice for the dressing, crumbling the bread in right on top of it.
This recipe is as close to Nina’s recipe as I can come, while lowering the fat as much as possible. The broth for this can come from a can, or from the turkey baking, but be sure to de-fat the broth if you get it from the turkey.
You can make the cornbread using a mix, but be sure to read the ingredients label carefully. If sugar is one of the first few ingredients, it will be too sweet to make good dressing. Pick a mix that has sugar way down at the end of the ingredients list.
To clear up any misconceptions anyone might be harboring – this dish is called “Dressing” not stuffing. It never sees the inside of the turkey or any other creature except the diners!!
This year we made a vegetarian version using veggie broth rather than chicken broth. No complaints were heard!
Ingredients:
1 8 ½ x 11” pan of cornbread, browned well
2 can biscuits well browned
1 lg onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
2 tsp pepper
1 tbs garlic
1 tbs sage
1-2 qts broth, cooled
salt to taste
2 eggs
Crumble cornbread and biscuits in a large bowl. Add onion, celery, spices and toss. Add broth until mixture is thoroughly wet and soggy. Add salt to taste. Beat two eggs well and add to mixture. Incorporate thoroughly.
Turn mixture into a large casserole dish sprayed with pam. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.
Serve with canned cranberry jelly, Pickled Peaches, and Cranberry Horseradish Relish.