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THANKSGIVING PRAYER: "LONG MAY OUR LAND BE BRIGHT WITH FREEDOM'S HOLY LIGHT!"
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"Over the river and through the woods
To grandmother's house we go...
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow..."
This song, sung in grade school, always reminded me of going to Pop's Place every Thanksgiving. He had a great farm down in
The main thing was the family circle, and the great food. My grandmother, my mother, and my aunt were all "farm girls," were butter-cooks like Paula Deen, and could cook like you wouldn't believe. I won't describe here all the recipes we had; they were your usual delicious Thanksgiving dishes. I will note two things. The first is that no big holiday meal ever took place there without a big FRUIT SALAD of cut up apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, coconut, walnuts, and whipped cream! It was simply a tradition!
The second, and most important thing is "POP'S DEEP SOUTH CORNBREAD DRESSING!" That it be done correctly and to exact specifications was as important to him as his blue-bib overalls and his pocket knife That the women in the family had long ago committed the dressing recipe to memory---did not matter or occur to him. He was right there, under foot, sneaking a little extra sage into the recipe, if the ladies weren't alert. They finally, to protect against the sage problem affecting everyone, allowed Pop to make his own little recipe in a pan, adding of course, plenty of sage!
As a Thanksgiving gift to my readers, I am giving you here his time-tested cornbread dressing recipe. You may already have it, or you may be an oyster-dressing person. This was not a stuffing---it was nice fully-cooked brown crispy dressing, baked separately in the oven.
POP'S CORNBREAD DRESSING
2 recipes of plain cornbread
1 can of regular non-flaky biscuits
Crumble these.
2 cups celery, finely diced, sautéed in butter or microwave in water, one minute
2 cups onion finely diced, cook with celery
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Salt and pepper carefully, to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste; try 1 TBS, (or sage, carefully)
4 or 5 cups of turkey broth, fat skimmed off (boil bones if possible)
Note: Canned chicken broth may be substituted; but has less flavor.
Mix to proper baking consistency by adding broth...
Bake 30-45 minutes in two long Pyrex bowls, until very brown.
On a humorous note, I will tell you a little story. We had a dear friend from back East, who lived here and was a very fine cook. In that area of the country, the oyster dressing was the accepted stuffing. She once tasted our corn bread dressing, made by my wife, and every year after that, since her family here couldn't be converted, she asked my wife to make her a little special extra pan of cornbread dressing! She came by and picked it up!
Crumble these.
2 cups celery, finely diced, sautéed in butter or microwave in water, one minute
2 cups onion finely diced, cook with celery
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Salt and pepper carefully, to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste; try 1 TBS, (or sage, carefully)
4 or 5 cups of turkey broth, fat skimmed off (boil bones if possible)
Note: Canned chicken broth may be substituted; but has less flavor.
Mix to proper baking consistency by adding broth...
Bake 30-45 minutes in two long Pyrex bowls, until very brown.
On a humorous note, I will tell you a little story. We had a dear friend from back East, who lived here and was a very fine cook. In that area of the country, the oyster dressing was the accepted stuffing. She once tasted our corn bread dressing, made by my wife, and every year after that, since her family here couldn't be converted, she asked my wife to make her a little special extra pan of cornbread dressing! She came by and picked it up!
Various Thanksgiving observations date back to the pilgrims, the early colonies, George Washington, and the states. The first official Thanksgiving Day was established during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln in Civil War times, 1863, and has continued ever since, being made a permanent holiday by congress in 1941.
This year, in addition to being thankful for all our blessings, let us offer a prayer for our republic; many feel that the country is facing serious times...the most serious since the Civil War.
May God bless you and our country, and I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.
"America", Mormon Tabernacle Choir
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BY MIL
11/17/12
Sent from my iPad
May God bless you and our country, and I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.
"America", Mormon Tabernacle Choir
"America the Beautiful", Mormon Tabernacle Choir
BY MIL
11/17/12
Sent from my iPad
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