Dressing Muffins

Greetings fellow culinary enthusiasts! There is some discussion about whether you are making dressing or stuffing for Thanksgiving. The way I understand it is that if you don’t “stuff” it in the turkey it is called “dressing”. With that being said, I don’t know where Stove Top Stuffing got its name because it stands alone perfectly. In lean times, I have even had it as a main course. In an effort to make something seasonal with my cooking students, I wrote this fast and easy recipe.

Follow the box directions for Jiffy Cornbread, except use water instead of milk. When it is cool enough to touch, crumble it up with your fingers and place evenly on a baking pan. You can make the crumbles stale fast by baking them on a low heat for a few minutes. Put the stale crumbles in a large bowl with 2 cups of stale bread crumbs (you can make your own…I think this is what the bread heels are made for or you can buy them at the store). Chop ½ cup onion and ½ cup celery and sauté in 2 tablespoons of butter (you can use more if you want to). Prepare 2 cups of chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon because it is not so salty) and let cool. Add the sauted vegetables to the bowl of stale bread and stir. Add 1 egg when the mixture is cool. Add salt, pepper and sage to your liking and stir. Add the chicken broth to the mixture. Bake in muffin tins for about 15 minutes (mini muffins about 10 minutes).

You can add stuff to this dressing if you like…maybe an oyster in each cup or my favorite…chopped up bits of tamales. The tamale bits add a little something…people will wonder what it is. Best part about making dressing muffins is that leftovers (if there are any) are easy to give out. Just get a muffin…no fork required.