Recently, I came across an email I had printed out. It was one my mother sent me in 2000 when I was living in Melbourne, Florida, and about to experience my first Thanksgiving away from family. The email was the recipe for my great grandmothers’ cornbread dressing. The recipe was typical for one being passed down from generation to generation… indicating a pinch of this or a pinch of that, or my favorite “add sage to taste.” Since my daughter is about to graduate college and is getting ready to have her own place, I took it upon myself to rewrite the family recipe and make it into something my daughter could follow. Raychel is a computer science major and likes things precise! I am pleased to say that even though it took some patience, I now have my great grandmothers’ cornbread dressing recipe measured out. This is not to say that you can’t add more sage if you like your dressing “sagey,” but for those souls who want some precision, I promise it tastes great! I took it to my family Christmas Eve Dinner, and it got my mom’s stamp of approval!
Cornbread Dressing
Yield = 9×13 pan of dressing
Note: Make cornbread first.
Ingredients for cornbread:
- 1 ½ cups yellow corn mill
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Baking powder
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 ½ cups milk
Mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl with a spoon. Spray a round or square cake pan with cooking spray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven until the cornbread is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Ingredients for dressing:
- 3 bunches of green onions
- 3 stalks of celery
- 3 large eggs (boiled)
- 1 can 10.5 oz. cream of mushroom soup
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth ( I usually use HEB Chicken Broth)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- ¾ tsp. Pepper
- 1 ½ tsp. Sage
- 3 TBS. Butter
Clean and chop the green onions and the celery. Sautee them in the butter until tender. Crumble the cornbread into a large mixing bowl and add the sauteed green onions and celery. Peel and chop the boiled eggs and add them to the bowl. Mix in the mushroom soup, salt, pepper, and sage. Slowly add the chicken broth. At this point, I usually use my hands to mix the dressing, which ensures the ingredients are well combined. Since all the ingredients are cooked, this is a great time to taste the mixture to see if you want to add more salt, pepper, or sage. Spray a 9 x 13 glass pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the glass pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 – 25 minutes.
At the end of the email from my mom, she said: “Good luck, call me if you need me.” I would like to say the same to you…. “Good luck, comment if you need me.” :). If you want to try another family recipe that is great for holiday gatherings try my Chicken Creole. It is an old family recipe with a twist!
Enjoy!
Maurie Kay
