The Closet Professor

In the United States, Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For some, it’s about the food. For others, it’s about family and friends. The one thing it should be about is what we are thankful for. I am thankful for many things. I am thankful that Susan is in my life and is such an important person and a wonderful friend. I am thankful for my little furry companion, Isabella. I am thankful for all of my friends and blog readers. We may wish for some things to be different in our lives, but hopefully, we all also have much to be thankful for. On this Thanksgiving, wherever you are in this world, know that I am thankful for you.

This Thanksgiving, I will be cooking just for me. I have a small turkey breast to bake along with some Brussels sprouts. I am also going to make a pan of cornbread dressing. It is one of my favorite holiday dishes, and I thought I’d share the recipe with you. This recipe makes a big batch. I will use less than half of this for mine today since it will just be me.

First, you have to start with making the cornbread. This is a recipe for the cornbread I usually make, but I add in the spices that I need for the dressing: celery salt, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, freshly cracked black pepper, sage (or Bell’s seasoning), and poultry seasoning (to make regular cornbread, omit those spices and just add in one teaspoon of salt). If you’d prefer to have celery and onions in your dressing, chop one to two stalks of celery and a small onion. I prefer for mine to have the taste of the vegetables, but I don’t like either of the vegetables cooked in my dressing. So, here’s the recipe for the cornbread:

Cornbread for Dressing

Prep Time: 7 min
Cook Time: 25-30 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix (if you use plain cornmeal, add 2 tablespoons baking powder and one tsp salt)
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour (if you use plain flour, add 3/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or regular milk (Start with 1 cup of liquid if you are using regular milk and add the rest as necessary)
• 1 teaspoon celery salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of sage (or Bell’s seasoning), or to taste, optional
• 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter as the oven preheats in an 8″ x 8″ pan.
3. Add cornmeal, self-rising flour, and seasonings in a bowl and mix with a fork. Make a well in the center of the mixture for the butter and buttermilk.
4. Add the melted butter and buttermilk to the well.
5. Mix until combined.
6.  Grease the pan well so it does not stick. I spray the pan liberally with additional butter-flavored PAM. Pour batter into the baking pan.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.

Note: You can also mix in two beaten eggs to this recipe, but I have never liked eggs in my cornbread. Also, never, ever, add sugar, honey, or any other sweetener to this cornbread. If you like sweet cornbread, it’s fine on its own, but you need a more savory cornbread for dressing.

Once the cornbread is done, let it cool enough to be able to handle it. I sometimes take leftover cornbread that I have frozen, thaw it out, and add the additional spices.

Cornbread Dressing

Servings: About 10 to 12 servings
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients

• 6 cups of cooked, crumbled stale cornbread, as directed above (fresh is also fine)
• 1 cup of turkey gravy (canned is fine)
• 4 to 6 cups of turkey or chicken broth or stock, more or less

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.
2. Add the crumbled cornbread to a large bowl. Add the gravy, and 2-4 cups of the stock. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Add more of the broth as needed, taking care not to make the dressing too soupy. The dressing should be the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Lightly spoon into the casserole dish, but do not pack down. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. For moister stuffing, baked covered. For a drier stuffing with a crunchy top, bake uncovered.

Cook’s Notes: Make cornbread a day or two ahead when possible and allow it to go stale. This dressing is also excellent with cooked turkey or chicken. Mix in about 2 cups of roughly shredded, cooked chicken or turkey before baking. Serve with gravy on top. My Grandmama use to add shredded chicken or turkey to hers, and it was especially delicious and can become a main dish instead of a side dish.

Make-Ahead Tip: While dressing is best when freshly assembled and baked, you may prep most of the ingredients ahead to save time. To prepare the entire dish ahead, assemble it all the way up to the baking stage the day before, using additional broth to make it more soupy, but don’t bake it. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Any longer ahead than that freeze it. You’ll need to allow for a day for it to thaw in the fridge before baking.

How to fix a too-dry or too-wet stuffing: If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

PS My leftover turkey is going to become a recipe for a special turkey “chili” that I love. Maybe I’ll post that recipe tomorrow, if anyone is interested. It’s more of a soup than a chili, but it is delicious. It calls for wild rice, which is impossible to find in New England. I had to order it special, and hopefully 🤞 it will come tomorrow.