Mattie’s Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Here’s my favorite Thanksgiving recipe, my grannie’s cornbread dressing.

First of all, if you’re not from the south you may not know that “dressing” is very different than “stuffing”. This is a side dish, separate from the bird, that comes out sort of the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes, rather than crumbly bread cubes.

Also depending on where you are in the south (coastal, inland, up in the mountains) you may be adding sausage or seafood. While this is not the end all be all dressing recipe, this is what I ate growing up and the recipe I love to make today. If you’re looking for a vegetarian side dish you could easily make this using vegetable stock in lieu of turkey drippings or chicken stock, and leave out the milk. Please don’t try to leave out the butter. This is Thanksgiving, the high holiday of fat, baby!

My Mom’s mom Mattie was born in South Georgia and raised in Florida. She used curry powder (not sage) and moistened the dish with drippings from the turkey. My Dad’s Mom Mary Del grew up in Louisiana and she would put oysters in her dressing. As a kid I thought oysters were gross, but now as an adult I love them especially in a dish like this where they mostly give a salty briny flavor (and you really don’t notice the slimy oyster texture as they get cooked into the dish).

Below is Mattie’s recipe with an option to add oysters Ala Mary Del if that’s going to make you and your crowd happy.

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Cornbread Ingredients:

  • 1 8.5 oz box jiffy cornbread mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup of milk

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 8 tablespoons butter (reserve one tbsp. to grease the pan)
  • 4-5 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 small green pepper, chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 5 slices white bread, dried in warm oven, and crumbled
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2-3 cups chicken stock (or pan drippings from the turkey)
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • Optional: 1 pint fresh oysters, drained

Directions:

  1. Make cornbread according to package directions. Cool and crumble (best to do this a day or two ahead.).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the celery, green pepper, and onion until soft (5-10 minutes).
  4. In a large bowl, place the celery, pepper, and onion. Add the cornbread, white bread, eggs, chicken stock, milk, salt, pepper, and curry powder and mix well (add the oysters now if you are using them).
  5. Pour into prepared dish and bake at 350 for 30 – 45 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. (to test for doneness, carefully and gently jiggle the pan, and if the center of the dressing moves cook it a little longer, til it’s set).

How to eat more veggies, and prepare quick, healthy meals at home with Melissa Olson

We recently chatted with Nutritionist Melissa Olson. She shared her tips for getting a healthy meal on the table in minutes. Also, how much protein we need (surprise – you may not be eating enough!), and how to get even your pickiest eaters to try new vegetables.

Click here to watch the full interview (46 minutes).

Click here to watch “Healthy Eating During Menopause” (3:02 minutes).

Click here to watch “Healthy Meals in Minutes” video (4:49 minutes).

Click here to learn what to do with Kohlrabi and other “weird” veggies (5:41 minutes).

Melissa shared this recipe

Chia Coconut Milk Pudding:

Ingredients – basic recipe

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2-3 Tbsp Chia seeds (2 Tbsps yields a slightly runny pudding, 3 Tbsp more firm/ held together pudding).

Add in Ingredient Options/ Ideas (Choose 1 or more):

4-5 fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped. 2 Tbsp halved or crushed Blueberries. 1/4 cup fresh or frozen mango, chopped.

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and chia seeds. Gently whisk or stir with a fork continuously for 3-5 minutes until mixture starts firming up and chia seeds suspend in mixture.

Mix in add ins of choice.

Refrigerate a minimum of 30 minutes before serving. I prefer 1-4 hours or overnight.

Store in refrigerator. Enjoy within 5 days.

Thanks Melissa!

If you need help with your digestion, or getting your diet back on track reach out to Melissa at InTuneNutrition.com

Hot and Bothered – Tips for Surviving and Thriving during Menopause.

How sleep, diet, exercise, stress management, and hormones all play a role in your health, and what you can do about it!

Registration for this live 4 week series is closed. A recorded version of this will be available soon.

If you’d like Anne to speak to your group (in person or on zoom) about menopause reach out today!

Anne@FluidPortland.com

(503) 705-4762

Hot flashes. Hot blooms. Power surges. No matter what you call them unexpected fluctuations of your internal thermostat can wreak havoc on your clothing, and your social life.

Menopause symptoms can impact your relationships,
your self-image, even your career.

Educating yourself as to what is coming, what you can do about it, and knowing when it’s time to seek professional help can drastically improve your experience during the menopause transition.

Join us as we learn about menopause, how it impacts our lives, and what small steps you can take every day to help you transition to the next level with ease.

Hot and Bothered! How to Survive and Thrive during Your Menopause Transition.

  • Who: You! And your friends, spouses, coworkers…
  • What: A 4-week series including a thirty minute weekly Zoom call, a short homework assignment, and support from me!
  • When: 6-6:30pm PT, on Tuesday September 12th, September 19th, September 26th, and October 3rd.
  • Where: Online via Zoom meetings and email support.
  • Why: Educate yourself about menopause and learn what you can do to take charge of your mental and physical health.
  • How much: FREE for Fluid Fit Club subscribers. $100 for guests.

Who am I to tell you about menopause? I’m a personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. I teach weekly fitness classes and meet with clients for one-on-one strength training and nutrition coaching. I’m 49 years old and am nearing my menopause transition and have been researching how best to approach this. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you!

Please email me your menopause questions: Anne@FluidPortland.com.

Want to take this course for free? Become a Fit Club Member! Sign up for one of our weekly small group classes or contact me about one on one strength training or Thai massage.

The July Five Exercises


Your July Five exercises:

  • Pelvic Clock
  • Bird Dog
  • Farmer’s Carry
  • Med Ball Push Up
  • Chest Stretch

Click here to watch the July Five video.

The order of these exercises is based on my trademarked R.O.S.S. protocol (Release, Organize, Strengthen and then Stretch) for pain free, economical movement.

Do this as a standalone strength and mobility workout by watching the video and following along with me or use this 9 minute series as a warmup prior to your next hike, bike, or swim.

To get the most out of these exercises please listen carefully to my cueing (especially while doing pelvic clock and bird dog).

I’m super excited to share this month’s farmer’s carry exercise with you!

I have some friends who are literal farmers and the husband recently told me a story about how he was proud of his wife. They were at a feed store and the employee thought the bag of feed they bought was too heavy for him to roll out to the truck using a hand cart. My friend’s bad ass, farm strong wife took one look at the 50lb bag, hoisted it over her shoulder and carried it out into the parking lot.


While you may not be working on a farm, or doing heavy manual labor this summer, let me ask you this – how much does your suitcase weigh? Or your dog? If they pack the box heavy at Costco, would you feel confident lifting it out of the cart and into your trunk?

Do you have the shoulder, back, core, and leg strength to pick up and carry a heavy thing?

Could your core stabilize you enough to carry a heavy thing in one hand only?

If the answer is no, join us for our Wednesday 6 pm Pilates class on Zoom. We’re combining traditional Pilates exercises with these shoulder and core strength moves.

 

None of these exercises should hurt. YOU are in charge of taking good care of you. If you feel pain, stop immediately. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.

Recipe – Quick Pickled Strawberries with White Balsamic

Here’s an easy quick pickled berry recipe you can throw together in minutes. It will last a week or so in the fridge, but I’m guessing you’ll eat them up quick!

While we do have strawberries in our yard, we’re getting just about a handful a day (and we have a cute lil brown bunny who also likes our strawberries) so to make this recipe I picked up a couple pints of berries at the Vancouver Farmer’s Market.

In an effort to tamp down my allergy symptoms this month, I’ve been sampling different local honey from Sithean Acres (also at the market) and used their fireweed honey in this recipe.

I recently found Navidi’s, a shop in nearby Camas that sells hundreds of types of olive oils and vinegars. I used their pineapple white balsamic in this recipe and it was delicious!

Quick Pickled Strawberries with White Balsamic

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of strawberries, trimmed and washed.
  • 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar.
  • 1/2 cup water.
  • 1 Tbsp honey.
  • Pinch of salt and pepper.

Directions:

  1. Place berries in a jar.
  2. Mix vinegar, water, honey, salt and pepper and pour over berries.
  3. Give the jar a gentle shake.
  4. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  5. Enjoy!

I ate my strawberries right out of the jar, also put them on a salad (including this meal of salmon and grits). You could also spread goat cheese on a slice of toast and top with strawberries.

Enjoy!

~Anne