I wanted this to be a recipe but realized I don’t have any quantities, so this is more a description of a recipe, or a memory. My mother made the best cornbread dressing ever. She did not believe in stuffing a turkey or chicken, feeling that the stuffing took much longer to cook and that it was unlikely to get done and be safe to eat. I know a lot of people are fond of stuffing, but not my family! So the way we always had it was baked separately in a pan, after the turkey was done and was resting.
Here’s what I recall went in it:
1 skillet cornbread (homemade), crumbled
1 pan biscuits (either homemade or canned), crumbled
1 or 2 onions
celery
boiled eggs, chopped, I think about 4
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning
sage (just a little, she did not like too strong a sage flavor)
some juice from the cooked bird to stick it all together and make it soft
maybe a little bacon grease or melted butter to give flavor (margarine, in those days)
All this was mixed up in a huge bowl. Then she spread it on a baking sheet with sides or another roasting pan, and baked it in the oven, I think at 350 degrees, until browned.
Mother also made gravy to pour over it, from the pan drippings, the giblets and neck (which she sauteed and chopped), more onion, celery, butter, salt and pepper.
I was always pleased when we had chicken and dressing, and the dressing was my favorite part of Thanksgiving. We always ate it until we felt sick the next day, because Mother insisted on throwing out the leftover dressing after Friday. She thought it wasn’t safe to keep because of the eggs.
So I’m remembering my mother, and wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I’m grateful for my family, my friends, my cat and all my other blessings.
writinghersense 