So, I don’t blog that much about food, which is probably kind of strange considering I used to be a food writer, but there you go. However, this time of year always brings out my foodie side as my entire family is made up of pretty excellent cooks. Everyone cooks: the men, the women, the children. (You should see my 7yo niece debone a fish, it’s awesome—kidding…she’s still kind of messy about that.) If you don’t cook, you have to clean up, so that’s extra motivation right there.
Now, I escaped yesterday having to cook very little. I made an appetizer and went to a friend’s house. It was awesome!
What happened last night? Husband and SmallBoy complaining about no turkey sandwiches. I confess, I kind of missed the leftovers, too. So what did I do this afternoon? Cooked a turkey and pan of stuffing, of course. (I also went to The Muppet Movie while the turkey was in the oven, which was awesome!)
And now, because I am a wonderful person, I’m going to share my mom’s cornbread stuffing recipe with you. Now, if I was my mother, I would never give this recipe to my children, and they would all be drawn inexorably back to their childhood home every holiday in order to get their fix, but lucky for you, my mom is nicer than me and shared it. (Keep in mind, we don’t really cook with recipes in my family, we just kind of cook until “it looks/smells/tastes right” so all of these measurements are approximate.) If you are making a late Thanksgiving dinner, or want to save this recipe for Christmas celebrations, go for it.
Why didn’t I share this before Thanksgiving, you ask?
I was being a lazy bum, that’s why. What do you expect from me on Thanksgiving?
Also, for my non-North American readers, if you’re not familiar with cornbread, 1) I’m terribly sorry that you have been deprived that way, it’s just wrong, and 2) I’m pretty positive there are a million recipes online, and it’s very easy to make. For my Yankee or Midwestern readers who may insist that white bread makes good stuffing…NO, it does not. It’s mushy and yucky, and I don’t want to hear it. It’s my blog, and the only other bread which makes a halfway decent dressing is good sourdough. Why? Because it’s my blog and I said so. That is all.
So, without further ado…
E’s Mommy’s Cornbread Stuffing
1 9×12 pan of cornbread (not sweet cornbread, just regular) baked and roughly broken up (not too finely crumbled)
1 pound of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 large yellow onion chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp dry parsley
2 tsp sage
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs
1 cup turkey or chicken broth
Combine the cornbread, bacon, onion, celery, mushrooms, and spices. Beat three eggs and mix in. Add in enough broth to make it consistency that you want (1/2 – 1 cup usually) and bake covered at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Take cover off and brown on top for around 10 minutes. You can use this to stuff a bird, as well. I have used it in chicken or turkey, but not goose.
Happy cooking, and if you like hearing my very decided opinions about food and recipes and such, leave me a comment, and I may blog about it more. I kind of miss writing about food, so it might be fun.
Elizabeth
Hey all! I’m planning to do a proper year end post of some kind later this week. I’ll also be doing my annual “Ten Things I Learned About Independent Publishing in 2014” post for writers. But until then, I wanted to send you and your family a very sincere wish of happy holidays.
ELIZABETH HUNTER 