Cornbread Dressing

I thought I would share the family recipe for cornbread dressing. My mom's is one of the best. I say "one of" because I've amended and enhanced it over the years... Mom doesn't "do" herbs. But I adore this dish because...it's a whole meal!

And like all good Southern recipes... no measurements! I like to work in stages.

Season a hen to taste and cook. Let cool. Cut all meat into bite size pieces. Share the skin and fatty bits with the pup. They aren't needed.

Make a large pan of cornbread. I prefer one without a lot of sugar. This  a savory dish. I season my cornbread with a little herbed garlic.  Bake til lightly browned. My favorite childhood breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas is always buttered cornbread. Now, I realize it was probably the only thing cooked in the house when I awoke hungry and my mother had all burners on the stove going!

Boil half a dozen eggs. Rinse in ice cold water and peel. Smash. I hate eggs... so I smash mine to smithereens but if you like them... bite size will do. Put them into a very large work bowl.

Dice several stalks of celery and a large onion fine. Blanch in some of the hen broth.

Dice green onions and set aside. Chop any herbs you favor. I favor rosemary, parsley and sage.

-------Put it all together------

Add the corn bread to the work bowl, along with the meat, green onions,  and herbs. Mix all well so the boiled eggs are throughout. Add the celery / onion / broth.

Add 1/2 a dozen raw eggs and beat well.

Add hen broth until the batter is cake consistency. It will be chunky because of the meat but it should be soupy. If you run out of broth, canned is fine.

Bake in the oven until it browns on top and all the excess moisture has cooked out.  Serve with cranberry relish.

-----Tips / Alterations -----

• When I'm really busy,  I buy a cooked chicken at Costco or Sam's and use lots of chicken broth. 
• To add another layer of flavor, bake a can of corn in with the cornbread - cutting back on other liquids.
• Diced Ortega chilies are also a great addition. 
• Add a little melted butter to the final batter for richer flavor and MORE calories!
• You can mix up and freeze up to a month in advance! Make a batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas.

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The little Creekhiker and I are doing what we always do on Thanksgiving morn - hiking! This year, we have friends joining us for our Thanksgiving jaunt.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!