Well, we can't head up the street to Granny's house this year so I will have to attempt it on my own. The problem is that AEN's favorite is made by his grandmother who does not have single recipe written down. I can tell you what it looks and tastes like.. maybe someone can suggest a recipe.

It is usually made in a 9x12 pan and about 2 inches thick. I know it has cornbread, homemade biscuits, and onions in it. Thick, not crumbly, kind of like bread pudding but not sweet, cream/tan color. I am going shopping in the morning and would like to pick up the ingredients then. Any ideas? Not too many spices either.

I only have this one, and it does not sound much like the one you are looking for...Mebbe if you left out the serranos and the pecans... :dunno:

Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing

8 cups cornbread, dried and crumbled
8 cups biscuits, dried and crumbled
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (plus more for baking sheets)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
5 celery ribs, finely chopped (about 1 3/4 cup)
4 fresh serrano chilies, minced (about 1/4 cup)
6 cups chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 rimmed baking skeets. Toss cornbread, biscuits, pecans, and sage in large bowl.
2. Melt 1 stick of butter in skillet over high heat. Add onion, celery, and chiles, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add to cornbread-biscuit mixture and stir in stock, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. (Mixture will be liquidy).
3. Divide among prepared baking sheets, and bake fro 45 minutes. Brush the dressing with melted butter, and bake until crusty, about 15 minutes more. Dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day; reheat before using.

Thanks Iowa. That actually sounds really good. Like you said minus a couple of ingredients. 678hnn77

That's the problem. No one ever writes them down. 6g65dd

Including my wife. :mellow:

I always though my grandmother made the best dressing I had ever eaten, that is until I meet my Mother-In-Law.

As most know, people would save the left over cornbread and biscuits for weeks prior to Thanksgiving and use those to made dressing. But the m-i-l didn't do that. She didn't believe in using old, dried out breads to make a dressing.

She would make a cornbread/biscuit mixture and bake it Thanksgiving morning, then she crumbled that and made the dressing. Everything was fresh and top shelf, including her homemade chicken broth.

She taught my wife how to make this dressing, but the kicker is, NOTHING is written down in the form of a recipe. Notta. I just asked the spouse, and she said I use a little flour in the cornbread mixture and some "grease" and a few eggs................ tyheb

I said well screw me running, (she said OK), how the hell can I type up a recipe with a list like that? 6g65dd 6g65dd 6g65dd

Somebody's gunna be writing this year though, I promise.

The one Iowa posted should work, MINUS the Celery, Pecans and Serrano Chilies. Those items don't belong in Southern style dressing.

The secret is in the chicken broth. Use a lot of it. Nothing worse than dry dressing.

I know it'll be after Thanksgiving, but that recipe will be posted soon.

I don't mind the celery, but personally I would not like pecans or nuts of any sort or any chilis in my dressing. I'm just odd like that.

And rightfully so, I added the celery to my list, by chili's and pecans don't belong in dressing.

Me and a friend (Greg) had a two hour discussion this morning about dressing and his family is the same way. No one ever wrote anything down. They just make it from whatever they have in their little brains from doing it year after year after year.

As we described how our wife's made dressing, it was rather amazing how close they are and we both agreed to save each other at least a bowl to try for comparison on Friday.

His wife still makes her own chicken stock, but mine uses store bought rather than using the mother in laws method and making the chicken stock. Hell I think she bought out Swanson's Saturday. And she asked me to pick up two more quarts today, just in case.

Greg said his wife will make almost 4 gallons and use it all. I checked when I came home today and my wife has 3 1/2 gallons in the pantry. I said just damn! Now she has 4. (Needless to say, I'll make chicken stock in the future. It'll be a hellva lot cheaper.)

Regardless, one thing is certain, by the time Thanksgiving dinner is finished Thursday evening, the dressing will be history. At mine and Greg's house.

The turkey will probably be history too, I'm smoking a "fresh" from the farm (never frozen) bird with hickory and pecan. Awesome isn't the word.