THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS
BY EVE GADDY
One of my favorite traditions has to do with food. Well, food and family. I usually make a big traditional southern-Texas Thanksgiving dinner. (We also make the same meal at Christmas. What can I say? We like it.) I started making the dinner myself years ago when my family lived in Salt Lake City and couldn’t make it home to Texas.
The menu: Smoked Turkey, Cornbread Sage Dressing, Giblet Gravy, Potatoes (cooking method varies), Southern style Green Beans, Parkerhouse dinner rolls, Bing Cherry Jello salad, Cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray), pies (store bought, different varieties)
Over the years the menu has changed some, mostly to make life easier for me. For instance, instead of cooking the turkey myself, which I did for a long time, we order a smoked turkey from Greenberg’s Turkeys in Tyler, Texas. (If you’ve never had one you’re missing out. They were named one of Oprah’s favorite things.) Talk about saving time and being much less trouble! Not to mention, they’re really good. I also used to make a home-made apple pie but now we get them from the store. The potatoes change. In the past I made some form of really tasty, fattening potatoes but since I’m chronically dieting I now make my own version of mashed potatoes with skim milk and low-fat margarine.
All the homemade recipes came from my late mother-in-law. She was a wonderful cook and taught me how to cook many things. I could never have made Thanksgiving dinner without her instruction and encouragement. I still miss being able to call and ask her questions about the process. My gravy will never hold a candle to hers.
The centerpiece of the meal is the cornbread dressing. First, I make two pans of buttermilk cornbread from scratch several days ahead. You have to dry out the cornbread for days. Don’t ask me why. I do it because that’s the way my mother-in-law did it. One reason I make two pans is because while 
drying out the cornbread seems to mysteriously disappear.
Putting all the ingredients of the dressing together prior to cooking is the fun, family part. You see, you can’t make it without tasting to make sure there’s enough sage in it. Although I have a general idea of how much sage to add, it’s not exact. I, like my mother-in-law, grandmother, and mother, am the type of cook who says add a dash or pinch or a good bit, until it tastes right, or cook it until it looks done. So we all gather around with spoons and taste and comment. (Before you add raw eggs, of course.) Once we’re all satisfied that we have the perfect combination of salt, pepper and sage we transfer it to pans and bake it.
Yum. All this writing about food has made me hungry! Can’t wait until Thanksgiving.
Eve’s Cornbread Dressing
1 pan buttermilk cornbread, dried out for a couple of days
1 Cup Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing
2 Cups chopped onion
2 Cups chopped celery
3 raw eggs, beaten, added in last, after tasting
Rubbed sage, 5-6 T or to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Broth (from turkey if you roast it) or strong home-made chicken broth, broth from cooking giblets, canned chicken broth–always use low sodium. I found out the hard way the regular is too salty. I use a mix of the three, about 4 cups total. To taste. You want it pretty soupy but don’t forget you’ll be adding the eggs. Finally, if it doesn’t taste quite rich enough, add some melted butter or margarine.
Put in pans, don’t pack down. I use two pans, because I don’t like it really thick. Bake at 325-350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Home-made Buttermilk Cornbread
1/2 Cup flour
1 1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1 1/2 Cup buttermilk
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 Cup liquid corn oil or vegetable oil
Mix together. Pour into sprayed pan and bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
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