“Goof Proof” Recipes for Your Table
Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing/Stuffing, Homestyle Gravy
& some helpful hints
CORNBREAD DRESSING
Each seasoning package will make the recipe below 2 times for the equivalent of TWO 9”x13” pans.
Ingredients
- Two 8”x8” pans PREPARED white self-rising cornbread
NOTE: Follow instructions on back of yellow cornmeal package
NOTE: Do NOT add sugar nor use mixes containing sugar. - 10 slices WHITE bread – toasted
NOTE: Do NOT use wheat or multigrain breads. - 1 extra-large chopped onion
- 6-8 stalks chopped celery
- 1 stick butter or margarine
- 6 cups chicken broth, pan drippings or prepared bouillon (divided)
NOTE: Do NOT use broth from smoked turkey. - 2 TBLS SPICE CONNECTION Cornbread Dressing seasoning blend
- 2 eggs (optional)
NOTE: Use more onions and celery if you like.
Directions
- Crumble breads into large bowl.
- Simmer butter, 4 cups of broth, The Spice Connection seasoning, and chopped vegetables in pan until tender.
- Slowly pour and stir into bread crumbs mixture.
- Add remaining 2 cups broth as needed.
- To increase sage flavor to taste, add up to 1 TBLS by ½ TBLS increment.
- Add eggs, mix well and put into one 9″x13″ pan OR two 8×8 greased pans.
- Bake on middle shelf at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until brown on top.
LEFTOVER VARIATIONS
STUFFIN’ MUFFINS
- Pile extra large muffin tins with leftover dressing and bake for 25 minutes at 350.
- Freeze leftover “Stuffin’ Muffins” on a cookie sheet or in muffin tins. When frozen, remove and put desired number into vacuum seal bags or ziplock bags.
- When ready to eat, simply drop a vacuum sealed bag into boiling water to reheat, or remove the number of muffins desired from the ziplock bag and heat in microwave.
HOMESTYLE GRAVY
Ingredients
- 2 Cups chicken broth + 1 Cup pan drippings (if available)
NOTE: DO NOT use the pan drippings from smoked or injected meats. - 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
- ½ cup water or milk.
- 2 TBLS butter
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- Chopped giblets or pieces of dark meat (if desired)
- 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
Directions
- Mix cornstarch/flour and water/milk together.
- Pour mixture into broth in saucepan and bring to full boil.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth
NOTE: If too thin, add more cornstarch/flour and milk/water mixture.
SUZY’S HANDY HINTS:
Making the Turkey
- I love cooking my turkey with salt, pepper and butter in Reynolds cooking bags to capture all the rich broth to use in the dressing and gravy.
- If you are stuffing a turkey, keep in mind that the moisture from the bird will absorb into the dressing too.
Making the Cornbread
- DO NOT USE any cornbread mixes or recipe that contains sugar.
- The cornmeal I recommend is Martha White “HotRize” Self-Rising White Cornmeal. There are many good ones but this one always works great for me.
- I often like to make my cornbread in cast iron skillets because of the texture it gives the cornmeal.
- Use the whole package of seasoning with 4 pans of cornbread and one loaf of white bread.
- Customers from “Up North” even adapt the recipe to use all white bread, rather than cornbread… and they love it!
- Bread crumbles can also be stored in pillowcase for 2 or 3 days before you make your pan size dressing/stuffing.
For the Broth
- Boil a chicken to get all the broth needed, instead of purchasing containers of broth. Then use the meat from that chicken for a chicken and dressing meal, or use it to make chicken salad!
- Some use bouillon cubes instead of broth in order to reduce the fat content.
- Vegetarians substitute KNORR vegetable broth or bouillon instead of chicken broth
For the Gravy
- For making a richer flavored gravy, include the “pan drippings” from the chicken or turkey.
- Injectible seasonings will greatly affect flavors on the dressing and gravy, too. DO NOT USE any broth from smoked or injected meats.
For the Leftovers
- Freeze overage of prepared recipe mixture in a freezer bag or vacuum seal bag. Add more water if needed after thawing.
- Simply fold over edge of seasoning packet and store in freezer for up to a year.
- Send leftovers (IF you have any!!) with family in take-home containers!