With Thanksgiving thankfully behind us, we packed up the Thanksgiving decorations last weekend and started hauling out the Christmas decorations. We enjoyed the smaller, saner Thanksgiving gathering this year, and we’re looking forward to spending Christmas with just our immediate family this year. Honestly, I’m appreciating this 2020 “time out.”
So how was your Thanksgiving? Ours turned out OK. My amaryllis cooperated and bloomed on cue:
And I was pleased with my first attempt at making a floral centerpiece using a combination of grocery store flowers and foliage from my yard:
Most of the side dishes were the same ones we serve Every. Single. Year. But I also made cornbread dressing for the first time, and it’ll definitely be making a repeat performance next year. It was moist and savory, and could be a meal in itself. Maybe it was (don’t judge). Some people like to make stuffing cups by baking the dressing in muffin tins, and I’m sure this would be excellent too. Or maybe they just like to do that because it’s so fun to say “stuffin’ muffins.” You know, like “puddin’ pops.” I baked half of the recipe in a pie plate, and it looked nice — the other half went to a friend. This was by far my favorite leftover!
- 1 package prepared cornbread mix, crumbled*
- 3 slices toasted bread, crumbled or chopped into small pieces
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works well)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- *Prepare the cornbread mix according to package directions at least a day before. When cool, crumble it into a large bowl and cover it with dish towel -- this will allow it to dry out a little before using in the recipe.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, and saute until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Place the crumbled cornbread and toasted bread in a large bowl. Add the onion, celery, chicken broth, sage, eggs, cream of chicken soup, shredded chicken, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir until well combined.
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish (or two large pie plates) with cooking spray, and pour in the dressing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until dressing is set and lightly golden brown. (To test for doneness, gently shake the dish -- if the center of the dressing moves, then it is not cooked through and needs to bake longer). Serve hot.
