Thanksgiving at theWalleys !
Read this and you will know why the recipe is called "Grandma Helen's"! As you read, be sure to follow my notes.
Friday,November 18, 2011, Glynne posted on my facebook wall, “CanI get your Thanksgiving stuffing recipe? I think you gave it to meyears ago, but I can't find it.”
Havinginsomnia, I read that about midnight and had a good chuckle. When Itold Dad the next morning, he laughed and said, “Whatrecipe?”
Exactly!
OnSaturday, this was my response to Glynne's question: “Uh Oh!!! That would be the stuffing that has no recipe - the one Ilearned by helping my mother! The Japanese curry that you and Dadmake is pretty much learned the same way - by doing. However, I willspend some time giving instructions as best I can tomorrow (Sunday).Glad you asked - how flattering to me and your grandmother Munroe."
ThanJoanna said, “Ooh,put it on the food blog. I think we'd all like the tips. :)”
Glynneand I had a nice chat last night (Sunday) about how I make thestuffing and I think I gave him enough guidelines that he new what tobuy at the grocery store. I had planned to give what directions Icould on the family food blog yesterday but didn't feel well in theevening and put it off until today. I'm glad that I did because,after I talked with Glynne, I finally got around to reading ParadeMagazinefrom our Sunday paper and, lo and behold, there was a recipe in itthat is very helpful in giving you approximate amounts for thestuffing.
SO – HERE GOES!!!
Grandma Helen's CornBread Stuffing
by: ElizabethMitchell
Photo by: Kat Keutsch forPARADE
In my family (ElizabethMitchell), we've cooked turkey every which way, but we alwaysmake Grandma Helen's stuffing. It tastes like home, and I crave itall year long. Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without it.
ingredients:
1½ (8-inch square) panscorn bread *About the same amount I use
4 slicesItalian bread with sesame seeds, torn into very small pieces *Iuse regular bread or usually a prepackaged bag of herbed stuffingmix, usually Pepperidge Farm
4 hard-boiled eggs (use just2 of the whites), mashed *I've never heard of this but I do addone or two raw eggs after I'm done tasting and before putting in abaking pan
1 tsp seasoned salt *I salt to taste
1/4tsp white pepper *I pepper to taste with black pepper
1Tbsp chopped sage *I do add sage seasoning totaste.....probably about the same amount
1 cup choppedparsley *I've never used parsley but it might be worth a try
21/2 cups chopped celery *I probably use one to twocups.....depends on taste
1 cup chopped Spanish onion*Perhaps a little more........yellow onion.....we loveonions
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided *Iuse a similar amount but melted and included in the dressing
1(14-oz) can chicken or turkey broth *Dad cooks the giblets! Heand the dog eat the heart, liver, and gizzard........ugh! He pullsand shreds meat from the neck and adds it to the dressing. We usethe broth that's left from this to add to the dressing and then addcanned broth if we need more moisture. Beyond that, water can beadded if need be.
directions:
1. Crumble corn bread into a largebowl; combine with Italian bread pieces. Add mashed egg yolks andwhites. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, white pepper, sage, and parsley.Toss gently to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Setaside.
2. Sauté celery and onion in ½ cupbutter until soft.
3. Add onion and celeryto bread mixture and toss. Pour in most of broth and mix well. Addmore if mixture seems dry.
4. Grease a9-by-13-inch baking pan with 1 Tbsp butter. Transfer stuffing topan. Lightly moisten with more broth if needed. Dot top with rest ofbutter.
5. Bake at 325°F for 30 to 40minutes, until browned on top, or stuff in a turkey and cook untildone.
Elizabeth's Tips:
When my grandmother makes this stuffing, she tops it with little bits of butter, which then melts.
Grandma Helen makes her corn bread with white cornmeal, not yellow.
Mix wet and dry ingredients gently with your hands or a large fork to keep the stuffing light
MOM'SNotes!!!
I don't use boiled eggs. I use black pepper. I haven't ever used parsley but it might be good. I do add Poultry Seasoning in addition to the Sage.........to taste.
I do not saute' the celery and onion..........just add it after chopping in the food processor.
I use PAM to grease the pan. I've never dotted butter on top or added both at that stage..........you might want to experiment.
Usually I bake at 350ºF for about an hour.........until a knife comes out fairly clean as in testing a cake.
Webake a pan of dressing in the morning and eat it hot out of the ovenat lunch.....with cranberry sauce. Leftover cornbread, too. Howmuch cornbread and dressing we make depends on how many people we'llfeed and how much we want to eat aside from the actual Thanksgivingmeal. Leftover dressing sometimes gets frozen at our house to besliced and fried later on. We sometimes add it to Dad's turkey soup.
Idon't know what else I can tell you but you can always call with anyquestions. Good luck! I am also posting my standard cornbreadrecipe.........the one you grew up eating. However, we often useJiffy mix cornbread nowadays.
