November 19, 2015, posted by Gina – Today I started my week long process of cooking our Thanksgiving meal. We will be going to my parents house and I will be preparing all of the food except the turkey. My family enjoys all of the very traditional side items so without further ado, here is my menu:
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Macaroni & Cheese
Strawberry & Banana Salad
Deviled Eggs
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
GINA’S CORNBREAD DRESSING RECIPE
I use a cornmeal mix and follow the directions listed on the package except that I substitute buttermilk for milk because I love the flavor it provides. Now, don’t judge me on this recipe as there is a lot of butter in it. I have confessed and now can proceed.
1 recipe cornbread (this is for a 10 inch skillet or and 8 inch square baking dish)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing Mix
1 stick butter, melted
2 -32 ounce boxes chicken stock
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 eggs
Once the cornbread is baked and cooled, break it into small pieces. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery in the olive oil and then stir them to the cornbread. Add the herbed stuffing mix to the cornbread mixture and stir. Pour the melted butter, chicken stock, and soup over the cornbread mixture and combine all ingredients. Stir two eggs into mixture. Place in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes on 350° or until warmed though.
Here’s the 411: if you want to prepare this in advance, as I have done today, omit 1 can of the soup, the second 32 oz. box of chicken stock and the eggs. Cover it very tightly and place in the freezer. A day or two before serving, place it in the refrigerator for thawing. Once thawed and when you are ready to bake it, add the soup and eggs and additional chicken stock if needed for moisture. I usually have mine swimming in chicken stock before baking and afterwards it is very moist and delicious. So there you have it! That’s how I make the dressing for our family.
There was a question/answer report on Thanksgiving dinner on the news this morning and one of the questions was how do to make dressing without it being gummy. Well, I think the key is lots of moisture and the extra chicken stock seems to do the trick.
Cornmeal Mix – I like the Aunt Jemima brand cornmeal mix. I prefer the yellow cornmeal but as luck would have it Kroger did not have a yellow cornmeal mix. What is up with that? They do know it is Thanksgiving right? Oh, I’ll reserve getting on my soapbox about Kroger for another post! You may not have a Kroger where you live, but I am sure your local grocery has some of the same issues. Later.
Cooked Cornbread and Veggies – Look at that beautiful cornbread! You must cook this in a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one….stop what you are doing and get one. Make sure you get a pretreated one that is ready to go. When I got mine you had to “cure” it yourself…it’s like giving it a patina in a day but nothing creates a good patina like time and use. The onions, celery and bell pepper were sauteed until soft and they really the dressing tasty.
I hope to be able to share some of my other recipes with you. Besides the Strawberry Banana Salad, all of these recipes are mine. I have tried to transmit this dressing recipe the best I can, but if something does not make sense leave a question in the comment box.
We would love to know what everyone else is cooking for Thanksgiving, so let us know in the comment section. Maybe you are getting my subtle hint about leaving comments? Click on the title of the post and the comment form will appear at the bottom of the page.