Thanksgiving Food: Corn Bread Dressing

Though a turkey filled with stuffing is the center of many Thanksgiving meals, I can't say that I am a fan. The very idea of stuffing served out of the bird's carcass makes me queasy.

So if you come to Thanksgiving at my house, you won't be getting any stuffing from the bird. Instead, I make cornbread dressing. It's simple to prepare but tastes amazingly good. And it doesn't come out of the bird's backside, a big plus as far as I am concerned.

Corn Bread Dressing
corn bread (see below) ---- you only need two-thirds of the recipe so you will have leftover cornbread for your 8-year-boy *
½ cup onion, chopped finely
½ cup celery, chopped finely
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, finely chopped, plus a teaspoon of juice from the bottle
2 cups chicken broth, warmed
2 teaspoons black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees; grease 8x8 baking dish.

Using two-thirds the baking of corn bread, crumble it into a bowl. Mix in the chopped veggies. Stir in black pepper. Stir jalapeno juice into the chicken broth. Pour over cornbread mixture and mix well. Cornbread will absorb much of the broth but should remain wet. Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until top is browned.

* If you don't have an 8-year-old boy, I'd highly recommend that you get one. They are loads of fun.

I should have taken an up-close picture of the cornbread dressing when it was fresh from the oven, but we ate it instead. So I am re-producing a picture of my Thanksgiving table......corn bread dressing is in front, to the right. It's golden brown and all sorts of yummy.

Corn Bread
You can make your favorite corn bread for use in the dressing. I use this recipe, which is unbeatably tasty and a staple in Sassafras House.

1 ¼ cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal (I prefer yellow, but white also works fine)
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten well.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 8x8 baking dish or muffin tin (this recipe makes 6 large corn muffins).

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in milk, oil, and egg, mixing well until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm (JT recommends plenty of honey and butter).