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.