Granma’s Thanksgiving Dressing

When I was growing up in rural North Carolina ,(that’s in the south eastern USA for all of you outside of the US), my great-grandmother made every holiday special. Our entire family would gather and spend time together just being happy. I loved those times, the warmth, the love, the eating of great home cooked food.

Everything was made from scratch and when my great grandmother passed on in 1996, I took over the celebrations. Things moved slowly that first year, not everyone came by. But my grandmother spread the word that the food was just like her mother’s and suddenly the following years found everyone in the family coming to my home.

Grandma made the best dressing to go with our Thanksgiving turkey and each year I call her about a week before the holiday to make sure I have the recipe right. She knows it is just a ritual of habit, because I know the recipe by heart and have for years now. But sometimes it is nice to let someone know they are needed…no matter how well I know the recipe, I’ll still need her approval to know it’s right.

Here’s to you Grandma, now everyone will be able to share your dressing.

Momaw Evelyn’s Best Pan Dressing
(All measurements are estimated, most times I just use my judgement. Adjust to your taste)
20 Buttermilk Biscuits. (from a mix is fine)
20 corn muffins (again, a mix is fine)
1 large onion, chopped
Celery chopped (as much as you’d like)
6 hardboiled eggs, chopped
Shredded turkey meat from the neck, cooked
Turkey broth from the roasting turkey (can substitute with canned chicken broth)

Crumble and mix the two breads together. Add in all other ingredients. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and rubbed sage. Use enough broth to make the mix very wet, ‘sloppy’ is what my grandmother calls it. It will look almost like quick bread batter. Pour into a large pan and bake until the top is golden brown and the sides are pulling away from the pan.

This recipe takes a bit of adjusting. You can add the broth a bit at a time, but do not cook it until you have a nice, wet batter or it will be chokingly dry when baked.

For a vegan version, omit the eggs, turkey, and use vegetable broth in place of the meat broths. I’ve mixed in cranberries, walnuts, and apples. Have fun with it!