Thanksgiving Lessons I Learned from My Grandmama
Nashville writer, Rebecah Boynton cooks Thanksgiving every year with her Grandmama's recipes and style.
A family recipe Rebecah Boynton inherited from her Grandmama.
Ingredients
- 2 rounds cornbread (Rebecah uses White Lily Cornmeal Mix and the recipe on the back of the sack)
- 1 can biscuits (or 1/2 loaf white bread slices, but Grandmama loved Grands.)
- ¼ - ½ cup bacon fat
- ½ stick butter
- 3 large white or Vidalia onions, chopped
- 8 ribs celery, finely chopped (include leafy tops)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (optional)
- 2 bundles fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (curly works, too)
- 1-2 quarts chicken or turkey stock (Rebecah's mother always boiled a chicken a few days prior to Thanksgiving to make dressing. Good tip!)
- 4 eggs
Preparation
1. The day before Thanksgiving, cook cornbread in cast-iron skillets. Once cooled and dried out a bit, chop or crumble the rounds into large bowl. Toss with hands throughout the day or lay on a baking sheet. Bake biscuits, separate their layers, and let dry out on baking sheet.
2. The day-of, return cornbread to large bowl. Crumble in dried biscuits.
3. Add bacon fat and butter to large pan or pot. Add onion, celery, and a good pinch of salt. (You may have to cook your vegetables in series). Sauté until tender. Add fresh herbs. Sauté a couple minutes.
4. Add vegetables to bowl of crumbled bread and combine with hands. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Add stock to create a batter consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add eggs, combine and pour into greased casserole dishes or hot cast-iron skillets containing a bit of bacon fat.
6. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350F until center is done, then uncover and cook another 30 minutes or until browned. Serves a buncha folks! (Like 15.)
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