July 14, 2009

christmas in july



there is something i love about driving - in the dark - with the radio low and just talking to whoever is sitting there. sunday night after a good day at the lake, my brother and i were reminiscing (as usual) about cooking and that always leads to talking about my mom. i know that people say that their mom makes the best dressing in the world....but i swear, my mother did. she did. ask anyone. i watched and helped for many years. so when my brother said, "it's been almost two years and it's hard to believe i'll never have her dressing again."

i took that as a challenge. now it may not match mother's...but i watched enough that i thought i could come pretty close. if you tackle this dish - please put aside three to four hours - it's just that labor intensive. and another thing - i rarely measure so a lot of this is to taste.

it starts by doing three things almost simultaneously. put your chicken on to boil with water and a palmful of salt and black pepper to taste. i highly recommend a whole bird (instant sandra lee tip: you can use a rotiserre chicken from the deli if you're in a hurry) but all i had on had on hand was breasts so i supplemented with boneless, skinless thighs. then put on two to three eggs to boil (while you're boiling, you might as well boil some extra for some egg salad - always a yummy lunch treat). and then, yes, the holy trinity of southern cooking - bell pepper, celery and onion. chop each of the following to a fine chop: a bell pepper, onion (medium-sih) and three stalks celery.

after chopping - add 1/4 cup oil to an oven proof pan (if you have cast iron - fantastic!) saute the pepper, onion and celery until the veggies are soft. check your eggs (my trick to perfect eggs - place eggs in cold water, bring to a boil and boil for five minutes and then turn the heat off and let them sit another five to ten minutes. perfect every time.)

in a separate bowl - prepare cornbread according to package directions (sans oil) - i love while lily cornbread mix but i'm not sure if that's a regional brand or not. stir in the cooked veggies (with the oil) and a good palmful of poultry seasoning. now, if you have a herb garden you can use fresh sage, thyme and rosemary (half the seasoning because fresh has more flavor than dried). make sure the herbs are finely minced.

while cornbread is cooking, shred cooked chicken and set aside. peel boiled eggs and set aside. after cornbread is done, turn into a large bowl - and i do mean large as you will need room to mix. now, comes my mother's secret ingredients - cream of chicken soup and a raw egg. crumble the cornbread and stir together with the chicken. mix in the soup (i was out of chicken so cream of mushroom works well too) and then add chicken broth until mixture is fairly soupy. dice the boiled eggs and stir in. turn the entire mixture into a large roasting pan. bake at 350 for about an hour - check frequently to make sure it doesn't dry out - you can add extra chicken broth throughout the baking to ensure the dressing is moist.

my brother said it was pretty darn close. yay! i needed a bit more seasoning i think and maybe i should have used some sage in addition to just the poultry seasoning mix (which is sage, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and maybe one other herb.)

now...just so i could work harder? i decided to try a cream cheese poundcake that i got during the recipe exchange. i tweaked it a tad, blending it together with another basic poundcake recipe i had - the main difference is that i added more flavoring (hers called for vanilla only and i added some lemon extra. i used all butter - susan used one-half cup butter and one cup margarine.) at the last minute, i decided to go with the cake flour instead of the all purpose/baking power combo as shown in the photograph of ingredients.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake by Susan Jones
1 ½ cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Combine first 3 ingredients, creaming well: gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour to creamed mixture stirring until combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Pour batter into a well greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 1 hour 45 minutes at 325 degrees or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Yield: one 10-inch cake.



excuse the slice....you know I had to do quality control!! it's light, yummy and the perfect foundation for fresh sliced fruit and a dallop of whipped cream.

33 comments:

  1. delicious recipes,Char...thanks for sharing!

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  2. omg, you are ambitious! And with such a personal connection, what a nice way to remember your mom. The recipes sound amazing!

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  3. There's just something about Mom's cooking - nothing can beat it! But your recipes look so good!

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  4. Homemade dressing is my very favorite food, and I can't make it worth a darn! This sounds sooooo good!
    Brenda

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  5. Seriously consider a cookbook, Char! I read every sentence, every detail, and love that your mother has passed on this love for cooking in you! And how fortunate for your brother to be the taste-tester as well. nudge. nudge. That's a wonderful gift, I think. If I am ever in your area, I am inviting myself over for dinner or will at least sit outside your windows and smell the deliciousness cooking inside. I love dressing. But always take the easy route with Stovetop. sigh. :)

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  6. that does sound labour intensive.

    I must admit to being a tad confused about the chicken until I realized by "dressing" you meant "stuffing" not "salad dressing"!!

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  7. I don't know how you do it....
    well, I guess you do it because you love it !

    I'm just not one who likes to cook or bake, but I'm always amazed by those who do !!!

    and anything that tastes "like moms" is always the best of everything !

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  8. :) violet - i guess it would be a 'stuffing' type thing except we never actually stuff the bird - instead we just stir in the bird. hahahahaha

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  9. april - you're always welcome here. I love feeding people - the more the merrier.

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  10. I can just see you cooking in the kitchen and thinking about your Mom. There is nothing like Moms cooking...I never heard of stirring in the bird but it sure does sound good. I am not much of a baker but i can cook, but nothing like my mom...Take care.

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  11. Love your blog...it's beautiful and so creative. Good old down home stuff!
    I've just created my first blog....
    http://cora-heartfeltandhomemade.blogspot.com/ visit if you like.

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  12. WOW...I really take my hat off to your Mummy, she was an !
    Charobviously great cook and loved to create tasty dishes for you all.
    A cook book is definitely something you should consider!
    I love reading your foodie stories.
    Have a good evening!
    Char

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  13. what a wonderful post, filled with memories and good cooking. :)

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  14. Driving in the dark...remembering and, of course, cooking. Loved this post!

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  15. I will be copying the sour cream cake like NOW, and I will be in heaven.

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  16. oh what a special way to remember your mom char, I can just tell you are a fabulous cook!

    it always floods my mind with memories when I think of my mom cooking & baking

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  17. ok....now that's two of my most favorite (and comfort) foods! southern cornbread dressing and pound cake....

    omg....i feel a carb binge coming on!

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  18. It is way too late for me to eat....you are giving me cravings. =]

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  19. i somehow had never pictured you as the dmoestic goddess type, now, after this post, i think i may be changing my views a little :)

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  20. I think I just crashed my laptop with the drooling you made me do.

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  21. Jesus char..I am friggin starved now!!

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  22. I have never had dressing - or stuffing - this involved sounding! I love recipes that have stories to them...bet it's the love you put in it that makes it taste like mom's!

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  23. You are totally forgiven for the slice. Can I have the second? Thanx so much for your perfect guest post Char! There's a thank you post up today xoxo

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  24. Ahh yes, the holy trinity. Yes, mam! Our recipes are very similar.

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  25. That cake is so pretty! Anything made with sour cream has to be good :-)

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  26. um, i pretty much LOVE stuffing, and yours sounds deeeeeeeeeelicious!

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  27. Ooh, these sound so delicious! I've never even heard of cream cheese pound cake, but I'm now craving it :)

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  28. Holy cow girl!!! Can I come over for dinner???

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  29. I bet your brother was glad you decided to cook. It all sounds delicious! I remember the first time I attempted to roast a turkey and make dressing. What is it about those two things that seems so daunting?

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  30. Char, everything looks so delicious! I know what you mean about your mother. I lost mine 22 years ago when I was 34 and I still miss her every day. She taught me everything I know about cooking down-home food. She always grew her own sage to put in the dressing, and so do I. I still have the very last bottle of crumbled dried sage she gave me before she left us. Can't bring myself to throw it away.

    Boy, this is my day to think about losses.

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  31. I'm gonna try the dressing recipe, it sounds really good. I have put raw eggs into the final step, but not the chicken soup...got to try this! Thanks friend!---just a foot note-I hate stuffing, too dry!

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  32. I'm so hungry right now. This
    post does not help. I am wiping
    the drool off my keyboard! :O9

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  33. i think my mouth is watering literally right now.

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i feel as if each comment was between us as we sat and sipped something warm....i love to hear what you're thinking.