Is it Dressing or Stuffing?

Nashville, TN – No matter what you call it, dressing or stuffing is a revered holiday tradition all over the country.

“What you call it and whether it’s made with bread or cornbread is probably dictated by family tradition and where you grew up,” said the Martha White® baking expert Linda Carman. “Southerners generally call the famous accompaniment dressing, not stuffing, and prefer to make it with cornbread and bake it in a pan alongside the turkey.”

Historically, this tradition makes perfect sense because many of the deepest traditions are born by folks making do with what’s on hand. In the rural South, that meant leftover cornbread softened with a few leftover biscuits, seasoned with celery, onions, sage and broth. Why Southerners prefer to bake it in a pan instead of in the bird remains a mystery, but it may have something to do with the buttery crisp texture of the baked cornbread dressing.

Sausage Cornbread Dressing with Apples and Pecans embraces traditional cornbread dressing, but combines the wonderfully complementary additions of sausage, apples and pecans. The cornbread for this recipe is made with a quick and easy cornbread mix, which will be delicious in any of your cornbread dressing recipes.

Sausage Cornbread Dressing with Apples and Pecans

Ingredients

Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

2 (6 oz.) pkg. Martha White® Cotton Country® Cornbread Mix or Buttermilk Cornbread Mix, prepared according to package directions
2 cups crumbled biscuits or toasted bread cubes
1/2 lb. pork sausage
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped, unpeeled Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans*
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Spray a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish or pan with no-stick cooking spray. Coarsely crumble prepared cornbread. Place in large bowl. Add crumbled biscuits.

2. Cook sausage, celery and onions in large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Add sausage mixture and all remaining ingredients to cornbread and biscuits. Mix well, stirring gently so cornbread does not crumble completely. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip: *To toast pecans: Place pecans in dry nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat, shaking pan until nuts are lightly browned. Or place pecans in a baking pan. Bake at 350° F. for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

8 to 10 servings

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