Cornbread Dressing for Turkey

The art of a recipe is usually "about 1/4 this and about 1/2 that," so this won't be "exact," but it is how I made this year's dressing at least! For my daughter who requested I save this recipe, I hope sharing it on here helps. It is similar to how my mom and her dad made dressing, which was also something they did from memory. The key ingredients that make this special are the butter, onions, celery, and poultry seasoning. It tastes like home to me! 

Make a batch of yellow cornbread. You can use the recipe on the package, or something like this recipe (below). If you want it to be "authentic," then bake it in a black caste-iron skillet in the oven. The crust is golden-brown and the bread is savory, not sweet. Some recipes call for sugar, but the more sugar you use, the more it will taste like cake. 😉 If you don't have buttermilk, then find a recipe that uses milk.

Cornbread Ingredients:

4 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil 2 cups of cornmeal (yellow)
½ cup all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 egg 
2 cups buttermilk 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put the drippings or oil in a large (10-inch) cast-iron skillet and place in the oven as it preheats.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk then stir into the dry ingredients. 
3. Take the skillet out of oven, and pour the hot oil into the batter and stir until well combined.
4. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet. 

Dressing:

1. Lightly toast about 8-10 slices of white bread. Cut these into small pieces, or tear apart. In a large mixing bowl, crumble up the cornbread in small pieces and mix in the toast. Set this aside.
2. Prepare 2 large onions, diced very fine, and about 6 stalks celery, diced very fine.
3. Melt about 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet, saute the onions and celery about 5 minutes until softened. Lightly salt this a little while it is cooking. Pour the vegetables, including any remaining butter within the skillet into the bread mixture. 
4. Add 1 tsp. poultry seasoning, 1 tsp. salt. Stir well to combine. Add about 4 cups of chicken stock (make with bouillon or use a pre-packaged box of good-quality stock).
5. Mix this very well and pour it into a buttered or lightly greased casserole dish (about 9 x 13). The dressing should be wet and well covered in chicken stock so it is not dry, but not standing in liquid.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until it is golden brown on the top and the edges lightly browned. Serve with cranberry salad or canned cranberry.

Another recipe here from the New York Times to compare

New Every Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lam. 3:22-23)

Relying on God

In Exodus 15, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to the Lord for helping them escape Pharaoh. As Moses lifted his staff, the waters of the Red Sea parted, and the Israelites were able to cross on dry ground. All night, the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided with a wall of water on their right and their left. All of the Egyptian horses, chariots and horsemen pursued the Israelites into the sea; as soon as the Israelites were safely crossed, the Lord instructed Moses to stretch his hand back over the sea so that the waters would flow back into place at daybreak. The Israelites saw the great power of God against the Egyptians, feared the Lord, and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.

Shortly after this miracle, Moses led them into the Desert of Shur. For three days, they traveled without food or water. When they finally came to a place with water, they couldn't drink it because it was bitter (Marah). They began to grumble and complain. Moses cried to the Lord for help. The Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the bitter water, and it turned sweet, so they could drink it.

Being Tested--What Is It?

The Israelites were beginning a time of testing by God in the wilderness for 40 years until they would reach the border of Canaan, the promised land. They were told to pay attention to the commands of the Lord and keep his decrees, and He would protect them from disease.

In the Desert of Sin, the Israelites were hungry and complained that if only they could still be slaves in Egypt, they would have food to eat! They had already forgotten how far they had come by escaping the Egyptians.

The Lord heard their complaining, and promised to provide them with food. That night, quail appeared for them to eat meat. Then the next morning, a layer of dew covered the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes of bread remained. They said, "What is it?" because they had never seen this strange type of food. Moses told them it was their daily bread the Lord would be providing for them.

They had to gather the bread (manna) every morning. This would be a reminder to them that their provision comes from God. They could only gather what they needed for the day. If they tried to store up extra until morning, it would be covered with maggots and smell. On the sixth day, they were allowed to gather double so they would have plenty for the seventh day (Sabbath), a day of rest.

Application

Even today, much can be learned and applied from this Old Testament story. It is good to acknowledge God as the source of what we have. He gives us rules to humble us and keep us mindful of His power and presence. Even when we trust that our needs will be met, the Lord honors discipline and daily work (gathering food). Sometimes the Lord uses other people in the transaction of needs being met (Moses interceded for drinkable water). If we have enough for today, we should be content (not worry about tomorrow). If we work hard while we can, we can enjoy a day of rest!