Y’all. Welcome to our very first blog post! There’s a little bit of history behind this post, so we should start there. It’s been a couple of months since we revamped our website, and as a part of that process, I mentioned I wanted to have a blog on the website as a way to connect with our customers. I had all these ideas in my head, particularly surrounding old recipes, which I thought would be fun to share with followers of Southern Straws. Our cheese straws come from an old family recipe, and so do most of my go-to recipes. After getting the eye roll and “Whatever Mom” from Neal, he agreed to having a tab on the website for this blog. Fast forward two months since we launched the website, and there hasn’t been a minute to focus on the blog…until today!
Last night, I was reading through Facebook (which is how I stay connected with anyone and everyone who doesn’t walk into our bakery), and I saw where someone asked the question, “Where do you get the best dressing for Thanksgiving?” Honestly, I was surprised by the responses. There were so many suggestions…the local BBQ place, the popular social gathering spot, the farmhouse restaurant, and on and on. But no one suggested making the dressing from scratch. I really couldn’t believe it. These sweet friends and acquaintances didn’t know what Thanksgiving dressing is all about — it should be made from scratch!
Dressing is really very easy to make. Don’t get me wrong, it takes time, but it’s not hard and it’s so rewarding. So, as odd as it seems, my first blog post is a recipe for Thanksgiving dressing. I’m still laughing about it. I thought I’d be sharing my mom’s amazing spaghetti recipe, or the best dessert ever for Thanksgiving (which, by the way, is Bing Cherry Cake), or the vegetable casserole every teenager will love (Corn/Bean Casserole), but NO. Our first adventure into the blog world is DRESSING! I have to give credit for this recipe to one of my dearest friends, Sara Sturkie Wilson. She shared this recipe with me over 25 years ago, and she and I both make it every year. It’s not Thanksgiving without Sara’s dressing. I hope you find it as easy and special as we have.
A couple of thoughts regarding making dressing:
- Make at least a double batch. You’ll be chopping a lot of celery and onions so you might as well make it worth your while. Make some for Thanksgiving and then freeze some for Christmas. You’ll be so glad you did. (Just for reference, we have about 40 people come to our Thanksgiving dinner and I quadruple the recipe…and sometimes we run out!)
- Make the cornbread the day before you plan to make the dressing.
- Use the recipe for cornbread that is on the cornbread package. It’s just easier.
- If possible, prepare the dressing a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. This is because the dressing needs to be covered and refrigerated prior to cooking it.
Click HERE for Sara's recipe for Old-Fashioned Southern Dressing. I hope it becomes as much a family tradition for your family as it has for ours.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Margaret