Thanksgiving Traditions: Cornbread Stuffing and Christmas Vacation

Turkey Name Cards

My family doesn’t have too many sacred traditions when it comes to the holidays, but one thing you don’t mess with is the food, specifically my mom’s cornbread stuffing.  Every year a beautiful turkey, maple honey ham, and sautéed green beans are just the few dishes laid out on the table.  Cornbread stuffing is a staple, much like green bean casserole, that no matter what relative’s house we are at, it is present.

Preparations for the stuffing starts at the beginning of the week, when my mom makes the cornbread and lets it sit in the oven, for three days to dry out.  Of course, she makes it from scratch and you can’t help but take a big, chunk and spread butter on it.  I don’t even wait until it has cooled down.  It’s buttery, moist, and delicious.  My mom will not allow me to share her cornbread recipe it is her guarded secret, I’m lucky she let me share her cornbread recipe.  All I know is that she mixes together cornmeal, butter, eggs, buttermilk, and baking powder.

Carnage of Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving day, the stuffing comes together and the whole house smells like Italian sausage and onions sautéing in butter and herbs.  My mom puts an unhealthy amount of butter into it: two full sticks.  But that’s what makes it taste oh so good.  Again, I can’t control myself to wait until it has been baked in the oven to get a nice golden, crunchy crust on top.  As soon as my mom turns her back, I sneak a bowlful usually before she has a chance to yell, "Get out of here!" or slap my hand away.  Hey, someone has to be quality control.

This year we had Thanksgiving at my brother's new house.  I left the night before to help him get ready: prep the turkey, ham, etc.  In the morning we dressed the turkey and put it into the oven at 9 o'clock. Four hours later the turkey is beautiful and golden brown.  My future sister-in-law is taking pictures of my brother craving the turkey, his first turkey.  Finally we were able to eat and after not eating all morning I was hungry.

That's when I hear, "It's still raw!"

Let me take you back to earlier in the morning.  My brother, the brilliant pharmacist he is, thought it was fine that the oven was left open a crack due to the pan not fitting.  Yes, that's right, he left the oven open even after I told him it wasn't a good idea and we wonder why the turkey wasn't done yet.  Meanwhile my sister-in-law to be is in the corner, freaking out almost in tears.  Seeing that his daughter is close to the edge, her dad jokes about putting back into the oven for another hour.  Trying to diffuse the situation, my mom bringing no attention to herself pops the turkey, all 13 pounds, in to the microwave for a quick zap.

Once the food finally hit the table my loud, obnoxious family is quiet for a few short minutes.  Conversions begin ranging from terrible childhood memories of sitting at the dinner table refusing to eat brussel sprouts to claiming optimum sleeping real estate.

My uncle, by marriage, has even learned that at our house, you don’t need to eat a “safety meal.”  What’s a “safety meal” you’re asking yourself?  It is a meal you eat prior to dining at someone else’s house for the first time.  It keeps you safe from going hungry if there is too little of food or the food just isn’t good.  The first holiday he spent with us, he made the mistake of eating before he came.  That was his “safety meal” because he feared we wouldn’t have enough food for his empty stomach.  He now knows that we always have enough food.

Cornbread stuffing is even better as leftovers.   All you have to do is fry it in a pan with oil to get a golden crust on all sides.  I eat so much of it that I won’t want to eat it again until next Thanksgiving.

My uncle, who was the first to pass out

With full bellies we commence our countdown to Christmas by watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.  Dad is in his chair, snoring after sitting down for five minutes as we turn the volume up to hear over the obnoxious sound.  While I hate watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies at the beginning of November, nothing says the holidays like hearing Cousin Eddie yell, “S@$tter was full!”

We’ve even begun to put a stuffed animal squirrel in our tree to reference the hilarious squirrel scene.  During dinner whenever anybody asks someone to say “Grace”, my brother will say, "Grace? She died thirty years ago!"  Then my Uncle joins in and they will reenact this scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation:

Thanksgiving ends with me being thankful for my family however crazy they may be, there are always the Griswold’s to make me feel better.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Yield: 13"x9" pan

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cubed cornbread
• 1 pound Italian sausage, out of casing
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Salt and peper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Two days ahead make cornbread and allow to sit uncovered 
3. Remove italian sausage from it's casing and cook over medium heat until browned.
4. In a large pan, saute celery and onion in butter until they are translucent, add sausage.
5. To the pan, add the poultry seasoning and parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine cornbread and sausage mixtures.  Mix and add enough chicken stock to make wet, you may not need the whole quart.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.