Don't let the length of this recipe scare you!  After you've made it once, it will be easier and next year, it will be a cinch!

Cornbread Dressing and Giblet Gravy

This old-fashioned cornbread dressing is flavorful, tender and moist. Not fancy, its ingredients are simple.  The heart of the dressing is the cornbread, and the following recipe produces a coarse-crumbed, flavorful base for the dressing.

The Cornbread:

• 3 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups corn meal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Put the bacon drippings in a 9x13-inch baking dish and put it in the oven while it is preheating. The drippings will melt while youre mixing up the batter.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the corn meal, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and stir to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir well. Remove the hot dish from the oven. Swirl the dish to coat it with melted bacon drippings, pour the bacon drippings into the batter and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the pan, and bake 20 to 25 minutes. The cornbread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Make the cornbread a day before you intend to make your dressing. Leave it out, uncovered, overnight.

The Dressing:

·         1 9x13-inch pan of cornbread, crumbled

·         10 white or whole wheat bread heels (left out overnight)

·         poultry seasoning (see below)

·         rubbed sage (see below)

·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         3 large stalks celery, chopped

·         1 large onion, chopped (2-1/2 to 3 cups)

·         1 large green pepper, chopped

·         3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)

·         4 cups chicken stock

·         1 cup turkey pan drippings (from cooked turkey -- you are cooking a turkey, arent you?)

·         3 large eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Crumble the cornbread and white bread into a very large baking dish or pan (This is the pan you will cook your dressing in, and you need room to stir it while it's cooking). You will have approximately 12 cups of crumbs, perhaps a little more.

In a large skillet, sauté the celery, onion and green pepper in butter over medium heat until onion is transparent. Combine the sautéed vegetables with the bread crumbs and mix well. Note: The dressing up to this point can be prepared an hour or so in advance.

When you are ready to bake the dressing, add the beaten eggs, chicken stock and turkey pan drippings, and stir. (You may need a little more chicken stock -- better if it's too moist than too dry; the uncooked dressing should be a little on the slushy side.) Add 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage, black pepper, and mix thoroughly.

After baking for 15 minutes or so, stir dressing down from the sides of the pan so that it cooks uniformly (my mother's term was "rake through it"). Check the seasonings; that is, taste it. If you don't taste enough sage for your liking, add 1/4 teaspoon or so with a little chicken stock, stir it in, and taste again. Careful, a little sage goes a long way.

Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes.

Giblet Gravy:

·         3 tablespoons butter

·         3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         1 cup drippings from roasting pan that have been skimmed of fat

·         1 cup chicken broth

·         salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

·         1 tablespoon dry Sherry (not cooking sherry)

·         1 to 1-1/2 cups turkey giblets (chopped pieces of cooked liver and neck)

The Giblets: I use just the liver and pieces off the neck (I give the gizzard to the cat, and my husband eats the heart.) I always cook the neck with the turkey -- tuck it down in a corner of the pan. You can cook the liver the same way: submerge it in the broth in the roasting pan about 30 minutes before you expect the turkey to be done, or you can put it in a small saucepan, cover with a cup or so of lightly salted water and simmer it for 30 minutes. Since burner space is at a premium when preparing a Holiday meal, I usually opt for the cook-it-with-the-turkey method.

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan until it is bubbly, sprinkle in the flour and stir quickly for a minute or so to cook the flour. Slowly stir in the turkey drippings and chicken stock, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the gravy is smooth and thickened. (Note about lumps: Lumps are nothing to be embarrassed about. They happen. If you've got some lumps and want to get rid of them, strain the gravy now because you won't be able to after you add the giblets.)

Reduce heat to low, and check the seasonings. Add salt and pepper only if you think it is necessary. Some people (me) like to add a tablespoon or two of sherry at this point. It makes a wonderful difference. Add the giblets and simmer for about 10 minutes.

You can make your gravy early, keep it warm, and heat it back up a bit just before serving, if you like.

Green Bean Casserole

(Most will not need a recipe for this one, but it is the all-time best veggie item for my family's holiday!)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup

4 cups cooked green beans

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 1/3 cups French fried onions

Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and bake about 5 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.
Serves 6.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

3 medium acorn squash

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups chopped apple

1/4 cup melted butter

1 medium orange, peeled and diced

1/4 cup brown sugar

Cut acorn squash in half crosswise; remove seeds and pulp. Place cut side down in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Turn cut sides up; sprinkle with salt. Combine remaining ingredients; fill squash with mixture.  Continue baking 25 minutes or until acorn squash is tender.

Strawberry-Banana Salad

(We eat it with dinner, and then again with dessert!)

1 (6-ounce) package package strawberry gelatin
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries
3 bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1.      Dissolve strawberry gelatin in boiling water. Stir in strawberries and stir until thawed. Add bananas and pecans.

2.      Pour half into an 8-inch glass dish and the other half in a bowl; refrigerate both until firm. Spread sour cream over mixture in glass dish; spoon remaining gelatin from the bowl on top of the sour cream. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Makes 12 servings.

Seven Layer Salad

Ingredients:
1 medium head romaine or iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 cup green onion-green and some white section, thinly sliced
1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed with cold water
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light)
1/2 cup sour cream or low fat yogurt
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-3/4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
8 strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Place lettuce in bottom of large bowl or 13x9x2 pan. In layers, add celery, peppers, onion, peas and eggs. Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream and sugar. Spread on top. Top with cheese and bacon. Refrigerate overnight.

Sweet Potato Pie

·         2 C Cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

·         1 C Brown sugar, firmly packed

·         1/3 C Butter, softened

·         2 Eggs (large or jumbo), separated, at room temperature

·         ¼ t Ground ginger

·         ½ t Ground cinnamon

·         ½ t Ground nutmeg

·         ¼ t Salt

·         ½ C Half-and-half or evaporated milk

·         3 T Sugar

·         1 Unbaked 9-inch deep dish or 10-inch regular pie shell

·         Whipped cream or whipped topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, beaten egg yolks, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Blend in half-and-half.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until foamy; add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into sweet potato mixture.

Pour filling into an unbaked pie shell, and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350°F, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Allow to cool. Top with whipped cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Aunt Sally’s Pound Cake

(This is a long-time family recipe that is a winner at any meal, any season!)

1 cup shortening

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

6 eggs, separated

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and four a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream shortening and vanilla gradually adding sugar.  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each.  In separate bowl, beat egg whites to a stiff peak consistency.  Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Finally, fold in beaten egg whites until well blended.  Pour better into prepared pan and bake for 1 ¼ hours. 

Cool in pan for 30 minutes before turning onto plate.

** If lemon flavor is desired, use half the vanilla called for and add 1 ¼ teaspoons lemon extract, not juice.

Texas Pecan Pie

·         1/2 cup melted butter

·         1 cup light brown sugar

·         1 cup light corn syrup

·         3 eggs, slightly beaten

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1-1/3 cups pecan pieces

·         Unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mix together the butter, eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Blend in pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake 10 minutes at 450°F; then lower heat to 350°F and bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes.