Simply Stuffing

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I need to confess something. I’m not a very good cook. Shameful for a southern gal, but true none the less. Given how much I like to eat, you would think I would be better at cooking. Part of the problem is that I don’t like fancy foods. I prefer basics like chicken and rice or steak and potatoes, along with a nice salad. But there are a few times a year I like to make a big dinner with all the trimmings. Thanksgiving is one of those times. And its not Thanksgiving without cornbread stuffing.

For years, making the cornbread stuffing vexed me. It never came out right. My mom didn’t make corn bread stuffing. She didn’t like it. Hard to believe, I know. I love cornbread stuffing! So I didn’t get the chance to learn mama’s recipe like so many southern gals do. Grandma didn’t make cornbread stuffing either, so I was on my own.

It’s Not Thanksgiving Without Cornbread Stuffing

To me, cornbread stuffing and dried cranberries are the best part of Thanksgiving dinner. So I was determined to learn how to make fabulous cornbread stuffing. I tried a few recipes, and they were okay, but nothing fabulous. And then my friend, Barbara Cleaver, asked me to try a cornbread stuffing recipe she wanted to include in her new book, Simply Stuffing. Barbara is a great cook. So when she asked me to try the recipe, I jumped at the chance.

Testing the Recipe

I made a list of the necessary ingredients and went shopping. Fixin’ to get started, I set the ingredients out on the kitchen counter. Not to be vexed by this recipe, I read it 3 times before starting. I was a little nervous, but I followed the recipe exactly. Since it wasn’t actually Thanksgiving, I cooked it on the stovetop. I made some baked chicken to go with it, and served it for dinner. My family loved it! I loved it! This was the fabulous cornbread stuffing I had been searching for. And, as it turned out, it was not all that difficult to make. The next day I called Barbara to give her the results of my stuffing experiment. I told her that the recipe was a success and she should definitely include it in her book. Only half-joking, I also told her that I was keeping the recipe. She just laughed. I asked if I would be getting a credit in her book. She laughed again.

Barbara said her book would have 20 different stuffing recipes, and that I should try them all. This time I laughed. Seriously, over the years I have tried several of the recipes. The kids’ favorite is the Hawaiian Cranberry Macadamia Nut Stuffing. My sister loved the Apple Pecan Stuffing. I’m allergic to mushrooms, so I steered clear of the English Pumpkin and Mushroom Stuffing, but I can’t say there were any stuffing recipes that I did not like. There’s even a Vegeterian Stuffing, a concept I don’t fully understand, but I’m sure there are people, like my niece, who would be into this. But as good as all the stuffing recipes were, my favorite is still the Southern Cornbread Stuffing. I’m simply a cornbread stuffing gal.

So, if like me, you are a little intimidated by cooking a big holiday feast, or if you are just looking for some new and different stuffing receipes, give Barbara’s book a try. Its called Simply Stuffing and it’s available on Amazon as an ebook. The book is simply stuffed with delectable, delicious stuffing recipes that will delight your Thanksgiving guests. Its one more thing to be thankful for.