Homemade Cornbread Stuffing

Thanksgiving. It's all about spending time with friends and family and remembering the blessings in life and what you're thankful for. Right behind those things- it's the homemade comfort food. The food that helps make the day what it is- the mac 'n cheese, corn casserole, and last but not least- the stuffing!

More specifically, cornbread dressing. I remember having the white bread dressing once and don't know why anyone would ever do that to themselves when cornbread is an option. So. Much. Better. 

I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com as well (like the cranberry sauce).  I've never made stuffing from scratch before (just the box kind), so this was another fun adventure. I didn't know quite which recipe to go with, but the first ingredient is bacon, so how could it not be delicious?!

My mom helped me make this when she got into town on Wednesday afternoon. It was fun having her in my kitchen for once. It also probably made her appreciate her huge kitchen, too! Hah! 

Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 lb. bacon (amount depends on how bacony you want it)

1 cup chopped onion

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

2 bags of dried cornbread stuffing mix

1.5 cans chicken broth

1/4 stick of butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Turn heat down to medium low and throw in onions and celery. Saute until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the thyme and sage and saute until just fragrant- don't overcook. Turn off the heat and stir in pecans. 

Pour dry cornbread mix into bowl. Add in bacon and vegetables. Stir in chicken broth. Put mixture into large casserole dish. Add thin slices of butter on top of the casserole. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook until the top is crispy- about another 15 minutes.

This was pre-cooking. I forgot to get a post-cooking picture before we dug in. :)