"Muzzy" is what IT Guy's
family called his maternal grandmother. She was a southern gal from
Paducah, Kentucky and the sweetest little lady. From the day I married
IT Guy, she treated me as if I was one of her own grandchildren. Always
welcoming me with open arms and a smile. I just loved her. Muzzy passed
from this life about 10 years ago or so and we all miss her. She didn't
profess to be a chef, but she had several things she made very well. One
was potato salad (I need to pick my mother-in-law's brain for that
recipe) and another was this dressing. It was handed down from her mother
and she passed it along to my MIL who in turn gave it to her children
and grandchildren. My MIL has been making it for 60+ years...and I know
I've been making it for half that time. I even gave the recipe to my mom
and SHE makes it, too. It's a basic southern biscuit and cornbread
dressing recipe but you really can't beat it. There's something to be
said for a recipe that's lasted 6 generations. Our family is spread out
from South Carolina to Arizona to Utah to Texas, and we don't get to
spend a lot of holiday time together, but every Thanksgiving we know
we're all sharing Muzzy's Cornbread Dressing across the miles.
Muzzy’s Cornbread Dressing
For the cornbread:
2 cups cornmeal
1 ½ cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add oil, milk and eggs and stir well to combine. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until golden brown and done in the center. Crumble when cool and allow to dry overnight.
For the biscuits:
6 cups Bisquick
2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Drop by large spoonfuls into a 9x13 greased pan. Dough will all come together when it’s baked to resemble a lumpy cake. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and done in the center. Crumble when cool and allow to dry overnight.
In a large skillet, sauté the following in some butter or olive oil:
1 ½ cups chopped celery
1 ½ cups diced onion
Sauté until tender.
In a VERY large bowl or new clean dishpan, mix together the breads and sautéed veggies. Add grated hard boiled eggs, 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (more to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. Pour in one can of the chicken broth and stir well. Add more broth from a second can so that dressing is very moist but not soupy.
Transfer dressing to 2 greased 9x13 inch pans. Sprinkle with paprika
Bake at 350 for 1 – 1 ½ hours until lightly browned on top.
The breads for this dressing can be made several days in advance and frozen. In fact, it’s easier to make it ahead of time so that you’re not doing it all in one day. Just thaw before assembling.
This recipe can easily be halved for a smaller crowd.
Muzzy’s Cornbread Dressing
For the cornbread:
2 cups cornmeal
1 ½ cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add oil, milk and eggs and stir well to combine. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until golden brown and done in the center. Crumble when cool and allow to dry overnight.
For the biscuits:
6 cups Bisquick
2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Drop by large spoonfuls into a 9x13 greased pan. Dough will all come together when it’s baked to resemble a lumpy cake. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and done in the center. Crumble when cool and allow to dry overnight.
In a large skillet, sauté the following in some butter or olive oil:
1 ½ cups chopped celery
1 ½ cups diced onion
Sauté until tender.
In a VERY large bowl or new clean dishpan, mix together the breads and sautéed veggies. Add grated hard boiled eggs, 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning (more to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. Pour in one can of the chicken broth and stir well. Add more broth from a second can so that dressing is very moist but not soupy.
Transfer dressing to 2 greased 9x13 inch pans. Sprinkle with paprika
Bake at 350 for 1 – 1 ½ hours until lightly browned on top.
The breads for this dressing can be made several days in advance and frozen. In fact, it’s easier to make it ahead of time so that you’re not doing it all in one day. Just thaw before assembling.
This recipe can easily be halved for a smaller crowd.
