is it dressing or stuffing?

No matter what you call it, the holidays just wouldn't be complete without a side of dressing or stuffing. Every Thanksgiving my grandma made the dressing. It was a simple dish made with cornbread and flavored heavily with broth and sage. She would season it and taste it and season it again and again until it passed her taste test. Then she would ask whoever was nearby to try it. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of dressing recipes from chestnuts to oysters but this simple, rustic cornbread dish remains my all-time favorite.

Grandma’s Holiday Dressing

Holiday turkey dinners just weren’t complete without a side of Grandma’s dressing. It was always wonderful whether stuffed in a bird or serve hot as a side dish.

Basic Cornbread

You will need:

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 cup flour or measure for measure gluten free replacement

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup olive oil or butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan. Measure corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and stir together. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl and mix well. Add the milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.

For the Dressing

You will need:

1 pan of cornbread

2 Tablespoons of butter

1 onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery

6 eggs, boiled, peeled, and chopped

a cup or 2 of broth

salt, pepper, and sage to taste

Melt the butter in a sauté pan, Add the onion and cook until the bits begin to brown, remove from heat. In a large bowl, add the celery, boiled egg bits, and cooked onion. Stir together adding the spices to taste. Crumble the cornbread over the mixture and stir together. Wet with broth and use to stuff bird, heat in baking dish, or serve as is.

The brightly tart flavor of the cranberry is the perfect complement to turkey and dressing. Cranberries holds a festive energy to brighten moods and strengthen tribal bonds.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

You will need:

1 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 cinnamon stick

salt to taste

Rinse the berries and pick out any debris. Pour orange juice into a large saucepan and stir in the sugar. Add cranberries, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Turn down heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the berries have burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool. When cool, pour mixture into a serving dish, cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.