My mother-in-law is originally from a small town in North Florida. Although she was an only child, she has many cousins with whom she is very close. Those cousins now have children and grandchildren, so she has family spread across the southeast: mainly Florida, Alabama, and North Georgia. When she married my father-in-law, our small town became a central location. So, every Thanksgiving, her extended family travels to the Paulk family cabin. Tents and campers are set up, and sleeping bags are spread across the cabin floor. Most every house nearby is filled with extra family members.
Although Thanksgiving can be easily overshadowed by the Christmas season, I love having a day dedicated to reminding us all that we should be thankful for those things that truly matter. If only we could remember to do that daily! I am very thankful for my own family I grew up in, but also grateful that I married into another loving family. I think it is wonderful that my husband has memories of playing football and sitting around the bonfire with his cousins, and now, my sons look forward each year to doing the same things with their cousins.
An amazingly delicious Thanksgiving feast is prepared, with everyone bringing their signature dishes. There is so much food that we have lunch, dinner, and even leftovers after that! My father-in-law happens to be one of the best cooks I know, and his dressing is to die for. For those of you who think I mean salad dressing, let me explain: dressing is the southern version of stuffing. It sounds simple - cornbread, bread crumbs, celery, onion, chicken broth, and seasonings - but dressing can be tricky. There is not much worse than choking down dry dressing with too much sage, while attempting to tell the cook how delicious it is. Here is his recipe, along with helpful hints:
Gary's Dressing
For Cornbread:
5 cups self-rising cornmeal
2 1/2 cups of buttermilk
6 eggs, beaten
Mix all ingredients well. Pour in a greased pan and bake at 425 degrees until light brown.
For Dressing:
cooled cornbread
16 slices of loaf bread, toasted and cubed
1/2 pound saltine crackers, crumbled
1 cup melted butter
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
8 cups (more may be needed) chicken broth
Optional: shredded chicken or turkey
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. of celery salt
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
6 eggs
Crumble cooled cornbread. Add cubed loaf bread and cracker crumbs. Set aside.
Cook celery and onion in butter until tender. Heat broth to boil. Add to the crumbled bread and crackers. Mixture should be soupy. Add other ingredients in the order given. Be sure mixture has cooled enough before adding eggs. Bake in large pan at 425° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!
Click below for a printable PDF version of this recipe!
For Cornbread:
5 cups self-rising cornmeal
2 1/2 cups of buttermilk
6 eggs, beaten
Mix all ingredients well. Pour in a greased pan and bake at 425 degrees until light brown.
For Dressing:
cooled cornbread
16 slices of loaf bread, toasted and cubed
1/2 pound saltine crackers, crumbled
1 cup melted butter
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
8 cups (more may be needed) chicken broth
Optional: shredded chicken or turkey
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. of celery salt
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
6 eggs
Crumble cooled cornbread. Add cubed loaf bread and cracker crumbs. Set aside.
Cook celery and onion in butter until tender. Heat broth to boil. Add to the crumbled bread and crackers. Mixture should be soupy. Add other ingredients in the order given. Be sure mixture has cooled enough before adding eggs. Bake in large pan at 425° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Enjoy!
Click below for a printable PDF version of this recipe!
| garys_dressing.pdf |
At Thanksgiving, dressing is served with turkey, but you can freeze a pan and pair it throughout the year with chicken or pork also. Most folks serve it with cranberry sauce, but since the Paulk family grows muscadine grapes, we serve it with muscadine sauce. Think muscadine preserves crossed with apple butter spices - yum! ***
We at The Southern Mercantile hope that you celebrate Thanksgiving by filling your tummies with delicious food surrounded by those you love! Take the time to appreciate the people and things for which you are truly grateful!
For more information on muscadines, go to www.paulkspride.com
-Jorjanne
We at The Southern Mercantile hope that you celebrate Thanksgiving by filling your tummies with delicious food surrounded by those you love! Take the time to appreciate the people and things for which you are truly grateful!
For more information on muscadines, go to www.paulkspride.com
-Jorjanne
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