My Favorite Recipe: Memaw’s Cornbread Dressing

I’m completely serious, no exaggeration here. My grandmother’s cornbread dressing is the best in the world.  It is moist with a crusty edge. It is full of flavors of chicken and sage, and everything else yummy that reminds me of the holidays.

She’s been gone for many years now, but my Aunt Sissy was given the recipe, so she made it for years. My aunt finally gave me the recipe, after some prodding, and now I get to make it for the family every year. (And usually just for me and Drew about another 3 times a year.)

Wanna be a hero at Thanksgiving? Give this recipe a shot. I have already heard from hundreds of strangers online about this is the best dressing they have had and now they make it every year. So….I can’t be crazy, right? It is simply delicious.

*Side notes:
-This recipe may be frozen for later use, it will still taste
fresh.
-This recipe makes about 2 10×10 pans-worth. It makes a lot!

Recipe

Walk-Through Video:

Ingredients:
-1 large skillet sweet cornbread (you can make this from scratch or
just use a couple of those little jiffy mix boxes.)
-1/2 loaf white bread (stale is best)
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 stalk of celery (the whole head, not just one stick)
-3 medium yellow onions
-2 garlic cloves
-2 tablespoons dried sage
-2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
-1 teaspoon ground red pepper
-1 roasted chicken
-6-7 cups low sodium chicken broth
– 2 10 ounce cans cream of chicken
-1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom
-1 10 ounce can cream of celery
-salt and pepper, to taste
-10 eggs (I believe this is the secret to the dressing’s perfect
texture, almost souffle-like.)

Directions:
1. Bake the cornbread until it is well done.
2. Crumble the cornbread and white bread into LARGE bowl.
3. Chop one full celery stalk, yellow onions, and dice garlic cloves.
4. In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and
celery until soft. Add garlic and cook for two minutes.
5. Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from the
store is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
6. Add sauteed veggies to bowl with crumbled bread. Also, add
poultry seasoning, sage, ground red pepper, all cans of condensed
soups, and 6 cups of chicken broth.
7. Stir and continue to add any necessary broth, until the texture
very loose, like the texture of chilli? Sorry, that is all I can come up
with. If you watch the video, you can see the visual.
8. Taste and add any necessary salt and pepper.
9. Add 10 eggs, already beaten.
10. Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from
the store is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
Add chicken. Stir until well incorporated.
11. Bake for 2 hours at 300°. Then, turn temperature up to 350°
and top loosely with foil. Cook for another 30 minutes, or until
the middle does not jiggle and is firm. Bigger dishes will take
longer, of course.
12. Let cool at least 20 minutes before digging in.
13. Write a comment letting me know what you think. =)

The Best Southern Cornbread and Chicken Dressing

Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 3 hours
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 15

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large tray/skillet plain sweet cornbread 2 jiffy boxes works or you can make it from scratch
  • 1/4 loaf stale white bread
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 celery stalk The entire head, not just one stick
  • 3 medium yellow onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbs[ dried sage
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp ground red pepper
  • 1 roasted chicken I have been adding 2 to help bring more protein to the dish- so add what you like!
  • 6-7 cups low sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
  • 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken
  • 1 10 oz can cream of mushroom
  • 1 10 oz can of cream of celery
  • 10 eggs beaten
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bake the cornbread until it is well done.
  • Crumble the cornbread and white bread into LARGE bowl.
  • Chop one full celery stalk, yellow onions, and dice garlic cloves.
  • In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions andcelery until soft. Add garlic and cook for two minutes.
  • Shred roasted chicken. (I find buying a rotisserie chicken from thestore is not only the easiest, but also the most flavorful.)
  • Add sauteed veggies to bowl with crumbled bread. Also, addpoultry seasoning, sage, ground red pepper, all cans of condensedsoups, and 6 cups of chicken broth.
  • Stir and continue to add any necessary broth, until the texturevery loose, like the texture of chilli? Sorry, that is all I can come upwith. If you watch the video, you can see the visual.
  • Taste and add any necessary salt and pepper.
  • Add 10 eggs, already beaten.
  • Add chicken. Stir until well incorporated.
  • Bake for 2 hours at 300°. Then, turn temperature up to 350°and top loosely with foil. Cook for another 30 minutes, or untilthe middle does not jiggle and is firm. Bigger dishes will takelonger, of course.
  • Let cool at least 20 minutes before digging in.

Video

Keyword cornbread dressing, dressing, thanksgiving, chicken dressing, chicken, cornbread, recipe, amy westerman,

The Best Cheese Dip Recipe (p.s. It is vegan!)

An earlier blog about the vegan restaurant, Spiral,(http://twogirlsonedish.com/?p=371) had me raving about this cashew cheese dip.  Since I visited, I have been experimenting with the recipe to replicate this. You guessed it….I got it, right here.

This cheese dip has been called “the best cheese dip ever” by my cheese-loving friends and family. The ones that ate it thinking it was real cheese dip had no clue it actually wasn’t cheese at all. (Of course I told them, eventually.)  It has been a new favorite snack for me, not only because it is friggin’ delicious, but also because it is super healthy. It has no carbs, no dairy, no gluten…it is pretty much made with cashews, veggies, stock, and some seasoning. It still blows my mind. Anyway, here’s the recipe if you want to rock your world:

Video Recipe:

Recipe:

Ingredients:
-2 cups cashews (raw or roasted)
-2 cups vegetable broth (I prefer chicken broth if no one I am feeding
cares to keep it vegan)
-1 tablespoon miso paste (if you cannot find this, substituting
hummus will do)
-1 tablespoon corn starch
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1 red bell pepper
-1/2 small yellow onion
-1/4 jalapeño (or more if you like it spicy)
-4 garlic cloves
-2 teaspoons ground cumin
-1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-salt to taste

Directions:
1. Soak cashews in water for at two hours. Overnight is fine.
2. In a blender, add drained cashews, broth, miso paste, and corn
starch. Blend until very smooth, with little graininess. This may
take anywhere from 3-10 minutes, depending on your blender.
3. Heat e.v.o.o on medium heat. Add coarsely chopped bell pepper,
onion, and jalapeño. Cook until slightly charred and soft.
4. Add coarsely chopped garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
5. When cashew mixture is smoothe, add cooked vegetables to
blender. Also, add all of the seasoning, minus the salt. Blend
until smooth.
6. In a sauce pan, on medium-low heat, heat blended “cheese” dip,
stirring constantly, until thickened. (about 15 minutes)
7. Taste for salt, add what is necessary. Enjoy!
Hints:
1. To make this taste even more like real cheese, also add nutritional
yeast in the 2nd step.
2. If dip is too spicy, add a tablespoon of masa meal. This dulls the
heat without ruining the flavor.

If you try this recipe, please comment below to let us know what you think!

 

Vegan Cashew Cheese Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, vegan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cashews (raw or roasted)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth I prefer chicken broth if no one I am feeding cares to keep it vegan
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 small yellow onion
  • 1/4 jalapeño
  • 4 garlic cloves or 4 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak cashews in water for at two hours. Overnight is fine.
  • In a blender, add drained cashews, broth, miso paste, and cornstarch. Blend until very smooth, with little graininess. This maytake anywhere from 3-10 minutes, depending on your blender.
  • Heat e.v.o.o on medium heat. Add coarsely chopped bell pepper,onion, and jalapeño. Cook until slightly charred and soft.
  • Add coarsely chopped garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
  • When cashew mixture is smoothe, add cooked vegetables toblender. Also, add all of the seasoning, minus the salt. Blenduntil smooth.
  • n a sauce pan, on medium-low heat, heat blended "cheese" dip,stirring constantly, until thickened. (about 15 minutes)
  • Taste for salt, add what is necessary. Enjoy!

Notes

Hints:
1. To make this taste even more like real cheese, also add nutritional
yeast in the 2nd step.
2. If dip is too spicy, add a tablespoon of masa meal. This dulls the
heat without ruining the flavor.
 
Keyword vegan, cashew, cashew cheese dip, vegan cheese dip, cheese dip, recipe, amy westerman,