The day before Thanksgiving was always set aside as the day to make THE Cornbread Dressing. What's for dinner on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving? Cornbread with butter. There wasn't time to do anything else but make dressing and get it in the fridge so that Thanksgiving day could be given over to roasting turkey, cooking fresh vegetables, heating pans of dressing, and--just before dinner--making gravy.
Other guests at the family table would bring their assigned special contributions. Brocolli and Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce made their way onto the table at times. Fresh Green Beans were a staple. My Grandmother Bunny's Sweet Potato Casserole rivaled any dessert, but was part of the dinner plate. She blended cream, cinnamon, and brown sugar with the mashed sweet potatoes, and topped it with marshmallows that got crunchy and brown when heated in the oven. She also sectioned big navel oranges and grated fresh coconut for a chilled Ambrosia. At the table there was always a platter of celery sticks (probably left over from the dressing, but it added a fresh crunch) and seedless black olives big enough to ride over the fingertips of children like so many shiny black puppet heads. And, of course, there was Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce--the gel kind that you had to force from the can by opening both ends. Once extricated, it was laid on its side and sliced for serving.
My mother Kathryn's Cornbread Dressing recipe was an unwritten masterpiece, but fortunately she held a dressing 'lab' one year. With batches of cornbread baking, and celery, onions and parsley being chopped and sautéed, her kitchen and the whole house was full of the most wonderful aromas. Mom always invited her stepmother Bunny to spend the holiday week with her and my stepfather Tommy. It was a race to see if there would be enough cornbread left for the dressing after Bunny and Tommy got through 'testing it' hot out of the oven and dripping with melted buter.
Everyone got in on the laughter and preparation. With an extinguished match in mouth to fend off the tears, Mom's housekeeper Elizabeth would chop cups of onions. My sister-in-law Iris and I joined the chopping, dicing, mincing, and sautéing. We wanted to learn how to make the dressing, capture the recipe in black and white, and carry on the tradition in our own homes. We all relished the simple task of creating a delicious ritual of food and fellowship.
What follows is the recipe for Kathryn's Cornbread Dressing.
Stock
Place turkey neck and giblets removed from bird (yes, there are gizzards, livers, heart and neck in a bag in the cavity of the bird!) in a pot along with celery stalks and chunks of onion. Cover with water; boil until liquid is flavorful. Reduce stock if desired. Strain out vegetables and meaty parts. Salt and pepper to taste. Reserve for dressing as well as gravy-making. (Some people chop the livers and other meaty stuff to add to the gravy. Me? I like my gravy smooth, so I toss the neck, gizzards, liver, etc. right along with the boiled limp celery and onion.)
Cornbread and Bread
Bake 4 recipes of cornbread for this dressing recipe that serves ~ 20-30.
This is the single recipe of Easy Corn Bread from back of Aunt Jemimah corn meal box. It serves 8.
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Quaker or Aunt Jemima corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten
1. Heat oven to 400° F. Grease 8- or 9-inch pan.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool and crumble cornbread.
Toast and crumble ~12 slices bread (any type).
Dressing
In a large bowl, mix crumbled cooled cornbread with ~ 12 slices toasted, crumbled bread.
Saute:
3 white onions (~2 cups chopped)
3 bunches green onions, including tops (~1 cup sliced)
in 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) butter
Saute:
3 small bunches celery (~5 cups chopped)
2 bunches parsley (~4 cups chopped)
in 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) butter
1. Add sauteed vegetables to the crumbled breads. Mix by hand. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Moisten with stock until dressing "holds together" when pressed into a ball. (Too much stock will make dressing soggy and mushy, so add stock a little at a time.)
3. Turn Dressing into a large oven-proof dish that has been sprayed with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate overnight if desired.
4. Bake covered in 325 degree oven until thoroughly heated. Uncover during last 10 minutes or so to brown.
For me, it's not Thanksgiving without this Cornbread Dressing. I can roast a whole turkey, or grill up marinated turkey breasts--the production of the big bird is not necessary. Only the dressing!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Diaper Cake for Twin Boys
My dear friend Jo is going to be the Grandmother of twin boys! There's a shower for Mommy and the babies this coming Saturday, and I've had the best time with her gift--a Diaper Cake for the Twins.
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| It turned out so cute! I started out with the ribbons--the plaid is wired and the little animal pawprint is just right. |
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| I used the empty diaper box covered in the pawprint receiving blanket as the 'cake' base. |
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| Top layers of the Diaper Cake with the Mini Bears |
On to Babies R Us for more discoveries. Store coupons helped a lot--a case of 108 newborn diapers, various chimers, teethers, grooming aids, spoons, and links were captured along with
The
Cutest
Softest
Sweetest
Mini Bears
you ever saw!
Another toy that I really wanted to include was Sophie the Giraffe. She's a squeaky teether that I've seen on Diapers.com as one of the 5-star favorites for young ones. Scooped her up online.
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| Here's the Bath Luve plus some other grooming items. I tucked them in the ribbons or tied them on with narrow bows and/or links. |
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NOTE: When it's time to assemble them into these bundles, it sure helps to have an extra pair of hands to corral those rolled diapers. My wise husband suggested putting a rubber band around the a manageable bunch first, and then tucking more in place. Good tip! BTW the wide plaid ribbon is not just for decoration. It's used to cover up the rubber bands that I used to secure both the rolled diapers and the rows or bundles of diaper rolls. I also hooked decorations on the ribbon or tucked gifts underneath it.
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| Hand and Foot gel teethers for the twins linked in place. |
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| Two sets of Onesies for the twins-- "handsome" is embroidered on one for each boy. |
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| Rolled Onesies, burp rags all tied up with pawprint ribbon surrounded by socks. |
* In one layer of the 'cake,' I placed all the pertinent packaging for each item--"BPA free," wash instructions, websites, manufacturers, how-to's, and all that. New parents need this info.
* This Diaper Cake is about 24" tall and about 12" x 16" at the base. It includes 3 layers (empty box base plus 2 bundled layers), and is topped with 2 teddy bears.
* None of the layers are joined--they just sit one on top of the other.
* It's decorated with: a brush
4 pacifiers 2 combs
sippy cup brushes 2 balls
3 teethers 2 spoons
6 Onesies 2 chimers
5 burp rags powder
bath wash
6 pairs of socks bath towel
7 plastic toy links 2 light blankets
1 roll narrow ribbon 1 roll wide wired ribbon
O Balls are wonderful toys for little hands. Very light and easy to grasp.
And, of course, one for each.
And, of course, one for each. |
| Can't believe I found the pawprint blanket after already buying the pawprint ribbon! |
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| Handsome little boys . . . |
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| Sophie the Giraffe |
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| Carter's socks decorate one layer |
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| A sweet little bear for each sweet little boy |
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| Two soft-tipped spoons tied with a bow and attached with a toy link. |
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| Eric Carle chimer is so bright & fun |
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| Small but Very Hungry Caterpillar chime/rattle |
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| Fishy towel is actually the Bath Luve that protects Mommy from little squirts! Brush with two combs, powder and wash are tucked in. The 3 brushes on the loop are for sippy cup hygeine. |
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| Sophie smiles |
I can't wait to meet these little guys!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Happy Fall, Y'all
When the first "cold front" blows this far south, I'm in heaven. The temps may drop 30 degrees or more in a day's time--sometimes within hours. Standing outside, I can literally feel the change from one breeze to the next. Overhead, I distinguish the puppy-like sounds of migrating geese; and even before spotting their undulating vee, I weep grateful tears for this demonstration of God's faithfulness. Hello again!
When it's time to sow, I like to sow. Brimming springtime gardens are a real joy. Working my hands through friable warm soil, I almost drool from the aroma! Varied spicy orange, lemon yellow, and shady purple blooms take off for a full 6-8 month frolic. And then, as the days become imperceptibly shorter, nature slows down. Fruitful summer annuals finish their jobs and just get tired.
It's time to reap. Once colorful blooms are transformed to spike dry clusters of seeds and crinkly khaki leaves. The bird's nest is vacant in its evergreen highrise. Berries begin to blush from twiggy holly and yaupon. Once a bustling bristle of buzzy hornets, a paper fist of empty hexagons clings to its leafless branch. Monarchs and hummingbirds stop for short busy visits on their way to Central America. Grasses shoot up plumes of feathery beige or clouds of purple as soft as the sunset sky.
I love Fall.
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