This is Betty Brumley’s wonderful dressing. Making dressing is an art. You have to work with it till you get it just right. This recipe is only a starting point. But, I have written it as close as I could get to how she fixes it. - Carolyn Hillje
One day before:
Boil turkey pieces or a chicken. Debone. Save the broth.
Make the cornbread.
2 cups cornmeal ¼ cup sugar
3 cups flour 3 eggs
2 T. baking powder ¼ cup oil
1 T. salt 3 cups milk
Mix together and bake 30 minutes.
To make the Dressing:
Chop 3 large onions and 12 stalks celery. Sauté in 1 stick of butter.
Add to this:
4 slices dry bread, crushed
1 T. black pepper
4 T. poultry seasoning (or to taste. Start with 1 T. and keep adding till you get it right)
2 T. sage (again, I would start easy and add to taste. You can always add more the next day when you put in the broth, but you can’t take any out. Know what I mean?)
Crumble the cornbread.
Mix all ingredients with the cornbread and put in the refrigerator over night. In a separate bowl, mix 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 sticks melted butter, and the chicken broth. Refrigerate overnight.
Next day:
Heat the broth mixture. Add to the cornbread mixture a little at a time. You may not need it all or you may have to add a little hot water. Like I said, it IS an art. Add 6 beaten eggs. Keep adding broth and water until the mixture is quite thin. Put in a large pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. Mother likes to stir it a couple of times while it is cooking. Cook it till it is set.