Sep 17, 2011
This is an excellent recipe if you are familiar with southern cornbread but never cooked it and want to try with a basic recipe. If you are new to making it, some things you DEFINITELY need to know: 1)"Dry Corn Bread Mix" is "corn meal mix", not Jiffy or sweet brands. The Aunt Jemima brands are perfect. Sweet dressing doesn't have the traditional southern taste most folks are accustomed to. 2)Sage is delicious but is like any other herb: personal preference rules because it is VERY strong. If you are not used to sage, cut the recipe amount in half and add your sage to the recipe before the eggs, so you can taste as you go along. 3)The more you stir and mix this recipe, the more dense and gummier it gets. If its "wet" before you bake it, the stiffer it will be when it's done. It will sit up like a brick! If you like a lighter, fluffier dressing ("stuffing" like), only add as much liquid as needed to be visibly moist; it should still be chunky when you pour it in the baking dish to get a light consistency. 4)For non-vegetarians, add meat to this dish! Almost any meat will go well: cubed or shredded turkey, ham, chicken, sausage, ground beef, bacon. Try your favorite. 5)BE CAREFUL if you use poultry seasoning, some blends have salt. Reduce the recipe salt if needed. 6) My grandma told me her secret to good dressing is the vegetables, so use plenty celery & onion. Cook them only until tender and the onions are translucent so you don't lose all the crunch. It adds great texture.
—Jeanne
