Southern Cornbread Stuffing

This recipe is about as close to Grandma Myrtle Johnson’s recipe as I can get it! There are many things you can substitute or add to the basic recipe according to what you have in your pantry, or to suit your taste. The secret is to get it to the right consistency - not dry, but good and wet. For our big holiday gatherings at Mama’s house, I generally double the recipe and it makes so much I have to mix it in a large stock pot! Just experiment and make it your own!

ingredients

For the cornbread:

1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the dressing:

Cornbread, recipe above (or one box Jiffy mix)
7 slices oven-dried bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers or Ritz crackers
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
5 eggs, beaten

directions

1
For the cornbread, preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2
For the dressing, preheat oven to 350°.
3
In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried bread slices, and crackers; set aside.
4
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons of this mixture for the giblet gravy. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve with turkey as a side dish.