Cornbread Dressing

I always enjoyed Thanksgiving growing up, but the dressing was not my favorite part.  I was more of the "give me a big plate of the sides; I can take or leave the turkey" kind of girl.  Then I married my man.  I went to Thanksgiving at his parents' house.  I could not pile my plate high enough with the turkey, dressing and gravy!   So, in honor of Thanksgiving this week and a friend's request for a good dressing recipe, I am excited to share this amazing recipe!

- 1 (10 in) skillet of cornbread  (family's cornbread recipe)

- 1 cup chopped onion

- 3 cups chopped celery and tops

- 2 tbsp sage

- 3 boiled chopped eggs

- 2 or 3 beaten eggs

- 1 (8 oz) Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing

- 1/2 stick melted butter

- 3 cups chicken broth 

- 1 tsp salt

- 3/4 tsp pepper

Crumble cornbread into large pan.  Add all the other ingredients - but add the broth last.  If dressing is too dry, add water or giblet broth.  Taste for more sage, salt, and pepper.  Toss lightly.  Pour into 9x13x2 buttered pan.  Let stand one hour.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. 

Now I will continue daydreaming about Thursday... 

Cornbread

This is one of the few recipes that my husband excitedly wants me to copy of his mom's.  A staple and a great version!

- 1 1/2 cups of corn meal

- 3 tbsp flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 2 cups buttermilk

- 1 egg

- 3 tbsp corn oil or bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients.

Pour into hot skillet with about 1/4 cup corn oil (up to 1/2 cup) or bacon drippings.  Bake about 20 min or until brown, on middle shelf of oven.

(This recipe fits an 10-inch iron skillet.)

Mom's Chicken Pie

I have posted this recipe before, but I wanted to move it higher on the blog.  This was a major staple in my house when I was growing up.  None of us kids and my dad didn't like vegetables in the chicken pie, so this was my mom's answer.  This simple chicken pie with normally steamed broccoli on the side.  If you need the simple, this should absolutely be your next to try.

- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup or 9-10 oz of this cream of chicken soup
- 4 cups of chicken broth*

Cook chicken breasts with salt until chicken is tender (approx. one hour). Cook chicken and chop into pieces. Mix soup with broth. Heat mixture until hot. Grease baking dish. Put one pie crust into dish. Add chicken. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Add second pie crust to top.

Bake at 350 for one hour.

*I did not need this much chicken broth.  I think my mom's dish was a 10x10, but mine is only a 9x9.  So, feel free to adjust your liquid accordingly as well.

Anna-Kate's comment was, "This is the best supper ever."  Simple to prepare.  Always has enough leftovers for at least one night.  The sweet of the pie crust with the savory chicken mixture, a win for parent and kid alike!

Mom's Crockpot Mac 'N Cheese

I love this recipe of mac 'n cheese! Easy, yummy, and a crowd pleaser!

- 1 (8 oz) box macaroni noodles
- (16 oz) shredded cheese
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp milk
- 1 stick melted margarine
- 2 eggs beaten

Cook and drain noodles. Grease crockpot with butter or Pam. Add macaroni to crockpot. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with salt. Add evaporated milk, milk, and melted margarine to egg and salt mixture. Mix well. Add mixture and shredded cheese to crock pot. Stir until well mixed. Cook on low for 3 hours. (High for one hour, low for one hour works if in a hurry.)

Max's Five Pound Bake Beans

My mom and dad are famous for making these beans at family and church get-togethers. They smell amazing, and taste even better! If you looking for a really hearty side, these are wonderful!

- 53 oz can Van Camp's pork and beans
- 1-2 cups ketchup
- 1-1 1/2 tbsp mustard
- 1/4 lb brown sugar
- 1 - 1 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 small onion
- 1 green pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Brown ground beef. Open pork and beans and pour into large mixing bowl. Remove pork. Add ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar to beans. Chop onion (and green pepper) and add. Add ground beef. Stir mixture while adding all ingredients to mix well. Cut bacon strips in half. Cook until firm, not hard. Pour bean mixture into large baking dish (13x9). Top with bacon (I like tearing bacon into bite-size pieces.) Bake at 325 for one hour.

Daddy Burke's Slaw

This is the second of two recipes that Will asked that I learn to make from his mom. If you like slaw on your hotdog, you will love this! If you have never tried slaw on your hotdog, this is the recipe to try!

- 1 head of cabbage, chopped or 1 bag slaw from store
- 1 onion, chopped or grated
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp mayonaise
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp catsup
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestshire Sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp accent
- 1/8 seasoned salt

Mix. Put in jar or bowl. Cover. Will keep for two weeks.

Mom's Fudge

- 3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups butter
- 2/3 cups evaporated milk
- 1 12oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate pieces
- 1 7oz jar marshmallow creme
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, and milk in sauce pan. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate pieces until melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Pour into greased 13x9 in pan. Cool at room temperature. Cut into squares.

Grandma Harrill's Candied Sweet Potatoes

These are the yummiest sweet potatoes you have ever tasted. They are super sweet (notice 3:1 sugar:water ratio), but you really can't beat them. My Grandma Harrill made these for us until she was 92. How did she cut those sweet potatoes?!

- 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 2-3 tsp
- 1/2 cup water
- dash of salt
- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, water, salt. Stir until sugar is almost dissolved. Place on stove on high.

Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Drop in water/sugar mixture. Cook on high for approx. ten minutes and then on medium heat for approx 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Cook uncovered. Juice will boil down and thicken. Don't stir potatoes!!!!

Add butter and when syrup has cooked down about half, add vanilla. Pour into shallow baking dish. Sprinkle 2-3 tsp of sugar (cinnamon good too) over potatoes. Cook in oven for 5-10 minutes.

Simmons's Spaghetti Sauce

When Will and I got married, he said that the one recipe, I had to get from his mom was her spaghetti sauce. When I approached my mother-in-law, she said that my father-in-law had told her the same thing. This is the recipe his mom gave her. Kinda cool! This has been passed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law for a few generations.

SAUCE
- 2 large cans tomato sauce
- 3 large cans water (I use only 1 can and then add as needed.)
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 pkg spaghetti sauce mix (like, McCormick's Zesty Italian Mix)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp butter

BEEF
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- green pepper (optional)

 Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Add to ground beef and simmer as long as you have time. The longer the simmer, the yummier the sauce. This is a wonderful recipe to put in the crockpot for as long as you need. My personal touch is to put a jalapeno in to simmer for a while.

Also a common occurrence at this house is to have a medley of roasted vegetables, rather than a salad, on the side.  Yum!

Mom's Roast

This is super simple, but always gets rave reviews! If you haven't found a good roast recipe, this is it!

- 2lb beef roast (eye of round is most lean)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can french onion soup

Mix soup togethers. Rinse roast under cold water. Place in oven proof baking dish. Pour soups over roast. Cover. Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Or, do the same in crockpot for 3 hours on high, 6-7 hours on low.

Mom's Barbecue Chicken

This is my f.a.v.o.r.i.t.e recipe of my mom's. In college, I always knew when my mom was thinking about me...this dish would be on the table. Most of the time she served it with a cheesy hashbrown casserole. This is still my favorite homemade barbecue sauce.

- chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard (I usually just add a bit of yellow mustard.)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp red pepper

Combine all ingredients. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through.