The Dressing Queen's Dressing Recipe

Or at least it is just like the Dressing Queen's dressing, if it isn't her actual recipe. Before I get to the recipe, let me say congratulations to all of us for surviving Christmas. We'll start gearing up for New Year's Day, but for a few brief minutes, let us share our successes from our most recent family gatherings

The first success I have to share comes from Mary H. As I have said before, Mary H. / Mama Mary always presents the most wonderful food, so it is no surprise to me that this year she received the ultimate in dressing compliments: her husband said her dressing tasted just like the dressing his mother makes. And his mother, also known as Nana, is the Dressing Queen from what I hear. So put this recipe in your file for your next special occasion. I know I certainly will. Maybe we can't yet rise to the stature of Dressing Queen, but perhaps, with practice, we can be something like Dressing Debutantes! Enjoy...and thanks, Mama Mary!

Mama Mary's Cornbread Dressing
Lots of rich chicken stock (I make mine by simmering 1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken necks and backs using enough water to cover)
1 large onion, chopped
3 or 4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 stick margarine
12 slices toast (lightly browned)
1 large iron skillet of cornbread
1 packet dry onion soup mix
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 eggs, slightly beaten
black pepper

A day before serving: Melt margarine in large skillet and saute the onion and celery until transparent. Crumble the toast and cornbread in a very large bowl. Add the dry onion soup mix, eggs, soups, pepper, and the sauteed veggies (don't bother to drain the margarine---just pour it all in the bowl). Add broth until it is soupy. Sometimes I supplement my homemade broth with store-bought broth, but don't even attempt to use all canned broth! Refrigerate overnight.

The day you plan to serve: Bake in a large baking dish or 2 medium sized pans at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour, depending on the depth of your baking dish. This is so good I don't ever even bother to make gravy.

Note: Before baking, give it a good stir to see if it's soupy enough. Usually I add a little more broth as much of it is absorbed by the bread. It needs to be like a thick soup. You may add a little more broth at this point.

Our Dressing.

Okay, folks. Here it is. The centerpiece of Thanksgiving. The subject of many debates and closely held secret family recipes. It is time to talk dressing (and if you call it stuffing, you need to spend a lot more time on our Southern food website!). So many people have asked for this recipe over the years that I can jot it down without much thought. After I've written it, the person takes the paper. Folds it up. Walks away. And almost without fail calls to say how wonderful the dressing was and to apologize for changing things up a bit to suit their own preferences. I smile happily because that's what I want people to do! If you follow this exactly, your dressing will be great, but if you increase some proportions and decrease others to match your palate, you'll love it even more. So, sorry, Ma Ma, here's our dressing:

Dressing
2 recipes Favorite Cornbread (see recipe list to the left)
4 -5 cans of low sodium chicken broth or equal amount of your own stock, heated
2 pieces of white bread with crusts removed (or left over biscuits; they work great!)
8-10 saltine crackers finely crumbled
1 to 1 1/2 sticks butter or equal amount of spread such as Smart Balance
1 large yellow onion, diced
2-4 ribs celery, diced
1 can water chestnuts drained and chopped
4-5 large eggs
lots of dried sage
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Make cornbread according to the "basic" recipe and allow to cool completely(I would never even think about adding sugar. In my opinion, that will ruin the dressing.) Crumble cooled cornbread in a very large bowl. Tear white bread into pieces and mix that and cracker crumbs with the cornbread. Add the onion, celery, water chestnuts. Stir well to combine. Begin adding chicken broth 1 cup or so at a time until you are almost to the consistency of cake batter. Liberally sprinkle sage all over the dressing "batter." (My family disagrees on this sage issue. My grandmother, the famous Ma Ma, and I like tons of sage. My mother, known as Mom, likes a little. So use your own judgement.) Sprinkle a 3-4 shakes of ground black pepper in. Stir and taste. Yes, taste. Tasting is a crucial part of this recipe. You haven't added the eggs yet, so just see if you like flavors. If not, add a little more of whatever your taste buds suggest you might like. (This usually involves adding more sage, and possibly more onion and celery, for me. You probably will not need to add salt. The butter and the broth usually cover that pretty well.) Once you're happy with the amount of sage and everything else, add the eggs. You want the final consistency to be that of cake batter, very pourable, so add more broth or stock if you need to. Pour into your dish and bake an hour or so (watch it carefully after about 45 minutes) or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. DO NOT OVER COOK IT. You can change up the flavors to suit your taste, but there is nothing worse than dry dressing. (You should use gravy because you like it, not because you need it for moisture.) I'm sure your dressing will be perfect. Happy Thanks giving!

The Great Dressing Debate

Many members of my family say (frequently) that the dressing and the cranberry sauce make the Thanksgiving meal. I've learned over the years that family dressing recipes are prized possessions. In the case of one of my friends, her family's recipe is passed down, in secret, from generation to generation. Those marrying into the family have to earn the right to know the secrets! Well, I'm a little more willing to share mine. Frankly, I've learned that it is easier to share the recipe than to make the many, many pans of dressing that I am asked to make each year. (Last year, I made 8, yes 8, 9 x13 pans of dressing for different events before the holidays were over! It was the first year ever that I've had my fill of dressing!) So, this weekend, I'll post my family's recipe. I'm sending this post out requesting comments, stories, recipes, and more about your family's dressing. This humble dish has become a cornerstone of the Thanksgiving meal and the subject of family traditions. Share your recipe or share your story. Let's dish on dressing!