Cornbread Dressing(s)

Pansy Pearl's Cornbread Dressing

(Pansy Pearl is my mother and this is the cornbread dressing she makes.)

2 pans Aunt Jemima corn meal mix cornbread (in Oklahoma we use Shawnee brand)

prepared according to package directions

1 whole chicken

stick of oleo (margarine)

chicken broth (at least 2 quarts)

1/2 stalk celery or more, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 loaf old bread

1 cup saltine crackers

salt and pepper

ground sage (lots) at least 2 tablespoons to taste

2 eggs (raw not cooked)

Make cornbread, 2 cups each pan recipe on sack of mix. Cook chicken (boil in large Dutch oven-type pan). Debone chicken. Add oleo (margarine) to broth. You will need as least 2 quarts of broth. Chop celery and onion; cook celery and onion in broth until done (tender). Crumble the bread and crackers. Mix cornbread, old bread and crackers in a large pan. Pour broth over mixture until real (real real) moist. Add salt, pepper, ground sage and eggs to mixture. Add chicken meat. Mix real good with hands. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned on top. It is even better the next day warmed up for leftovers.

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I was reading about different cornbread dressings, and found the following tasty sounding ideas to add to the basic cornbread dressing above. Of course, I would have to make my own little pan of dressing with the additions, if I ever planned on having them. My grown daughter whines if she does not get her Thanksgiving cornbread dressing. This is the daughter that learned to cook from my husband, so she should be able to make her own!

IDEAS TO ADD TO BASIC CORNBREAD DRESSING

1.   cooked chopped apples

2.   cooked chopped apples and dried cranberries

3.   cooked chopped pears and dried cranberries

toasted walnuts or pecans

4.  diced dried apricots

5.   chopped leeks instead of onions

sliced cremini mushrooms

6.  use rosemary instead of sage (this is probably a sin?)

7.  Diced winter squash, carrots, parsnips and red onion roasted.

substitute for half the breas

8.  use sourdough or potato bread instead of plain bread

And there were also ideas for other kinds of dressings, such as: sausage-apple, squash-panchetta, chestnut-semolina, Polish-style, kale-garlic, chorizo, ham-cornbread, creole cornbread, mustard-ham, crab, spicy bacon, spinach-sausage, andouille, cranberry-rice, curried basmati, Cajun-rice and Mexican Rice!

WOW this dressing research has been fun and I have only touched the surface of recipes. Maybe this will give you ideas for a little change in the traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dressing recipe.