recipe – a little of this…a little of that

My family’s Thanksgiving meal is traditional in every sense of the word. Turkey and gravy, cornbread dressing (in the south it’s dressing, not stuffing), sweet potato casserole with marshmallows melted oh-so-carefully on top. And don’t you worry, the count of marshmallows is commensurate to the number of dinner attendees so that each receives this heavenly blessing on their plates. Also on the menu – broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, and the lime green jello salad (which was recently replaced with the cranberry fluff salad). And if all of that wasn’t enough (of course not, it’s Thanksgiving!) we always have a plethora of pies and sweets to finish the meal off.

But the piece de resistance (that’s french for the yummiest part) in that sea of food for Thanksgiving…is the dressing! What is Thanksgiving without dressing? It’s just turkey and some side dishes! There are so many variations on this favorite. Some swear by three-day old bread. Others contemplate giblets or no giblets. Chestnuts or walnuts? Sausage or chorizo? Bacon or the ever-popular oyster? Who in the world was cooking in their kitchen and decided it was a good idea to try OYSTERS in their dressing? I’ve never in my life! Surely alcohol or some sort of joke must have been involved in that nonsense!

I digress. The shining star for our family meal IS the cornbread dressing. It is also one of the most labor-intensive recipe of the entire meal. The work begins the day before Thanksgiving with cups and cups of diced onions and celery. Not sliced, no! Diced into millions of tiny, little hand-cut pieces. Also, the cornbread itself has to be cooked the night before as well and then all ingredients are mixed together….then into the oven on Thanksgiving Day to tantalize each and every nose and salivating appetite that walks into Mom and Dad’s house. The dressing is so important, that we calculate individual servings in order to have enough for Thanksgiving Day AND reheat on Friday evening. Yes, as if Thanksgiving Day isn’t enough, we reheat everything the next day and sit down to do it a second time. It is mostly just cleaning up the leftovers, but not the dressing. We always make sure there is a full pan for round number two….it’s that good! And the giblets vs. no giblets controversy…giblets all the way, baby! 🙂

Thanksgiving 2016

Thanksgiving began with the notion of sharing, so today I share with you our family’s treasured Cornbread Dressing Recipe. Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! May every blessing (aka Cornbread Dressing) of this special holiday fill your homes, your hearts….and your bellies!

Dara <3

Sandi Johnson’s Thanksgiving Dressing

A day or so before Thanksgiving, mix and bake 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread according to directions.

Saute’ until tender in a 1/2 cup of butter: 3 cups of diced celery and 2 cups diced onion. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, 2 tsp. poultry seasoning, 2 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. of pepper. Crumble corn bread and add celery/onion mixture, 2 eggs slightly beaten, and 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. Toss lightly and placed in greased pan. Bake for 1 hour @ 325°. It will brown on top. Doubling this recipe will fill a 9×13 pan.

Elva ~ by the fire ~ her favorite spot.

The story of my neighbor, Elva, is large and voluminous. She was a tiny little woman, but don’t let that fool you. She had an enormous personality. Describing her isn’t difficult. She was a crotchety, forward, opinionated, feisty, talkative, no-beating-around-the-bush, right-to-the-point kinda woman. I know I make her sound difficult….and she was! But don’t let that tough exterior fool you as she really was the consummate neighbor. She was the one who took your mail in and watched your dog while you were away on vacation. She was the one who stood in the kitchen for hours baking fresh cranberry bread each Christmas only to give every single one of them away to neighbors and friends. She was the one who baked a batch of her grandmother’s oatmeal cookies and left them on your kitchen counter for you to find when you got home from a long day of work. She’s the one that brought your daily paper to the front door. She’s the one that was always THERE. I know she wanted everyone to believe she was tough as nails. But she was really just a kind and caring little girl from Maine that never grew up. She had a heart bigger than most…and, if she liked you enough, she’d let you experience that sweet side of her. I’m lucky enough to have experienced it all with her…the sweet AND the saltiness of Elva!

Elva was my neighbor for almost 40 years. But she was more than a neighbor, really. She was family. We pulled her into the fold of ours and adopted her because she was alone and had no close family of her own to speak of. She attended all of our family functions and holidays. Every Christmas, my family has a bonfire outside after all the festivities, food and fellowship. She loved that part…. listening to the stories, the laughter, and the crackling of the fire. I realize now that she’s gone, she was easily pleased by the simple pleasures.

She died one year ago on November 3^rd. Her life changed my life in many ways, and I miss her crotchety self. I’ll share a story or two of Elva in the future. But today, in honor of her one year angelversary, I’d like to pass along her oatmeal cookie recipe. It was her grandmother’s, which makes the recipe even that more special – it’s an heirloom. Maybe you might like to make a warm batch and share them with a neighbor. Elva would love that.

Dara <3

Grandma’s Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups butter or margarine (softened)

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

4 eggs

7 cups quick cooking oats

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 package (5.1 oz.) instant vanilla pudding

2 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the oats, flour, dry pudding mix and baking soda. Gradually add to the creamed mixture, stirring well. Drop by heaping tablespoons 2” apart onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 7 dozen.

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Thanksgiving Blessings aka Cornbread Dressing