Regional Recipes for Holidays

Here's our Christmas Day menu. It's regional (mostly Tuscan)!

I do have a Paul Prudhomme andouille stuffing recipe - would make great use of the regional seafood.

Here's our Christmas Day menu. It's regional ( mostly Tuscan)!

I do have a Paul Prudhomme andouille stuffing recipe - would make great use of the regional seafood.

These recipes sound absolutely fabulous! I'm saving them for future use in our house. The beef tenderloin will be a real winner (as we usually cook a lot of pork tenderloin.) And I can't wait to try the arugula, pecan and cranberry salad. I can find arugula in an ethnic produce store but it is expensive, but worth it. Also, I have a couple of Ina Garten's recipe books. She's the best on the cooking channel, I think.
Thanks for all the great recipes!

My mother died 25 years ago and I've never been able to re-create her wonderful cornbread dressing recipe, plus I've never had a good recipe. I've tried many, many recipes from Southern Living, Good Morning America, etc., but there's still something not quite right, some little secret or maybe just that right touch of Southern magic. Any help would be a blessing for this "Girl Raised In The South!"

My mother died 25 years ago and I've never been able to re-create her wonderful cornbread dressing recipe, plus I've never had a good recipe. I've tried many, many recipes from Southern Living, Good Morning America, etc., but there's still something not quite right, some little secret or maybe just that right touch of Southern magic. Any help would be a blessing for this "Girl Raised In The South!"

A few years ago, I did a cookbook for the family for Christmas. In it I included a couple of good old southern dressing recipes. This has been a big debate in our family for years--some like "wet" and some like "dry". Personally, I prefer the dry with lots of gravy. Will send recipes to you...lemme go get them. ;-)

Oh my...not a southern tradition by any means (I don't think)...but when I was a child I remember my mother making eggs benedict and (her own yeast dough) cinnamon buns early Christmas morning for breakfast...ohhhh, just the memory makes my mouth water. To this date, I love eggs benedict and cinnamon buns. I must admit I'm a failure at baking anything with yeast in it. I do make pretty great (if I do say so myself) eggs benedict though. Hope I didn't hijack your thread, Donna, but with the season fast approaching...it does evoke lovely memories.

Christmas dinner would be roasted turkey with a bread, onion and mushroom savory stuffing to die for, turkey gravy, salad (sometimes creamy cole slaw instead of a "lettuce" salad), mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, a winter vegetable casserole in a cheese sauce with a butter crumb topping, cranberry sauce (home-made), home-made rolls and butter and a choice of either home-made apple or pumpkin pie. It never varied. Oh my...

Wanted to add, when we were down for the first time early this year, I tried fried green tomatoes and some local favorites, including wonderful shrimp, fish, Royal Reds and BBQ...loved it, but to this day have never had traditional Christmas day fare...I'll be following this thread with great interest...

Oh Destindreamin- broke and bought the PIE tonight. Had to. My mom and her boyfriend came to dinner, and I didn't have anything for dessert except Halloween candy. I didn't think 70 yr. olds wanted Skittles or Warheads. They didn't want any dessert, so now I will be eating the PIE.

Sorry to veer off the thread...it's the PIE.....

BR Can you post that chili recipe you were talking about in another thread... Paul Prudhomme's Mandeville Mardi Gras Chili? I would appreciate it. I tried to find it on his web site but he doesn't have it listed at this time. Thanks in advance!!! These other recipes you have posted sound wonderful... I always like to try new recipes for the holiday! Thanks for posting them!

Oh Destindreamin- broke and bought the PIE tonight. Had to. My mom and her boyfriend came to dinner, and I didn't have anything for dessert except Halloween candy. I didn't think 70 yr. olds wanted Skittles or Warheads. They didn't want any dessert, so now I will be eating the PIE.

Sorry to veer off the thread...it's the PIE.....

:funn: You gave in! Bless your heart...but don't you feel better now?

:funn: You gave in! Bless your heart...but don't you feel better now?

No. Just fat!

A few years ago, I did a cookbook for the family for Christmas. In it I included a couple of good old southern dressing recipes. This has been a big debate in our family for years--some like "wet" and some like "dry". Personally, I prefer the dry with lots of gravy. Will send recipes to you...lemme go get them. ;-)

Ok..kinda long, but here they are.

1. Aunt Barbara's Big Batch of Dressing Just as she wrote it out..

2 or 3 iron skillets size cornbread-crumbled
(she uses 2 pkgs. cornbread mix per 1 skillet)
2 or 3 slices stale white bread-cubed
2 bunches celery chopped pretty small
2-3 onions chopped pretty small
poultry seasoning
sage
salt
black pepper
broth

saute onion & celery in margarine until soft. add to crumbled cornbread and white bread. Add broth from turkey and enough canned broth to make cornbread mixture on soupy side. All poultry seasoning and not too much sage, salt and pepper to taste. (We like quite a bit of black pepper). Van, Jan and Craig keep tasting until we think seasoning is right. You can always add more, but can't take it out, so start out conservatively.

Put into one or two oblong baking pans & bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour until it starts browning on top. You can divide & put less broth in one part of the mixture and make one pan for those who like their dressing on the drier side.


2. Mom's Cornbread

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. sugar
1 egg
1/4 corn oil
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Add egg and buttermilk, then oil. Meanwhile, have 2 tablespoons oil heating in an iron skillet in hot (475 degree) oven. When skillet is HOT, pout batter into skillet and bake about 15-20 min.


3. Cliff's Cornbread Dressing Louisiana style

1 recipe Mom's Cornbread
Giblets from turkey
1/2 lb. ground meat
4 stems celery
1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. celery leaves, chopped
1 tsp. Tony's seasoning
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. black pepper

Boil giblets until tender. Chop. If desired, also cook neck and remove meat. chop. Save broth. Saute onion, celery and garlic lightly. Add ground meat and brown. Drain. Crumble cornbread coursely into a large bowl. Add meat mixture and seasonings..Pour one cup of broth into mixture and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more broth and stir until large clumps break up. Consistency should be slightly mushy but with some lumps of cornbread left. There should be enough moisture to hold mixture together. Stuff bird or put in 13x9 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes watching edges to avoid burning..

So there you go..hope these help. I usually make the first version, since I'm not much on meat and certainly not giblets and necks!

No. Just fat!

I say if you love something that much, it doesn't hurt to indulge every now and then..and by the way, I'll take full responsibility since I started the whole thing with that avatar..

I say if you love something that much, it doesn't hurt to indulge every now and then..and by the way, I'll take full responsibility since I started the whole thing with that avatar..

yeah, I'll tatoo your name on my pumpkin pie a$$!!!

and PS- I think I will be using one of your dressing recipes! YUM!

yeah, I'll tatoo your name on my pumpkin pie a$$!!!

:funn: :funn:

hope you enjoy the dressing!

:funn: :funn:

hope you enjoy the dressing!

The dressing will be on the other cheek. I will be easy to spot at the beach.

Johnrudy: Just two more posts for you and four for me, and we'll become Beach Nuts!

Johnrudy: Just two more posts for you and four for me, and we'll become Beach Nuts!

Dang- I'm gonna miss y'all turning into nuts!

Hitting the rack-- night y'all!

These recipes sound absolutely fabulous! I'm saving them for future use in our house. The beef tenderloin will be a real winner (as we usually cook a lot of pork tenderloin.) And I can't wait to try the arugula, pecan and cranberry salad. I can find arugula in an ethnic produce store but it is expensive, but worth it. Also, I have a couple of Ina Garten's recipe books. She's the best on the cooking channel, I think.
Thanks for all the great recipes!

You're welcome!

BR Can you post that chili recipe you were talking about in another thread... Paul Prudhomme's Mandeville Mardi Gras Chili? I would appreciate it. I tried to find it on his web site but he doesn't have it listed at this time. Thanks in advance!!! These other recipes you have posted sound wonderful... I always like to try new recipes for the holiday! Thanks for posting them!

Here it is.

My mother died 25 years ago and I've never been able to re-create her wonderful cornbread dressing recipe, plus I've never had a good recipe. I've tried many, many recipes from Southern Living, Good Morning America, etc., but there's still something not quite right, some little secret or maybe just that right touch of Southern magic. Any help would be a blessing for this "Girl Raised In The South!"

Here's one from a true GRITS girl.

Many thanks for all the great ideas and my mouth is watering already! Printed out all these recipes, Beach Runner and Destin Dreamin'. Tomorrow, I will log on with my favorite cranberry sauce, which is made with Grand Marnier and is also quite good with roast pork. It's best if made several days in advance of the big day. Oh, and the best bread pudding recipe ever is in Paul Prudhomme's cookbook, New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce and Chantilly Cream. Makes you wanna slap yo mama! :funn:

JohnRudy, I can relate to your missing ingredient story. My grandmother was a marvelous cook and refused to write recipes down. She has been gone for 40 years and we're still trying to recreate her double-crust chicken pie with dumplings. But look for Bell's Poultry Seasoning at your supermarket. Many women of that generation used it (I do, too.) and it makes a very noticeable difference in bird stuffing and dressings. It is in a little yellow paper box, in the spices section. Good luck!

Here it is.

Thanks BR, can't wait to try this one!! We like chili here in Texas you know!!

Many thanks for all the great ideas and my mouth is watering already! Printed out all these recipes, Beach Runner and Destin Dreamin'. Tomorrow, I will log on with my favorite cranberry sauce, which is made with Grand Marnier and is also quite good with roast pork. It's best if made several days in advance of the big day. Oh, and the best bread pudding recipe ever is in Paul Prudhomme's cookbook, New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce and Chantilly Cream. Makes you wanna slap yo mama! :funn:

JohnRudy, I can relate to your missing ingredient story. My grandmother was a marvelous cook and refused to write recipes down. She has been gone for 40 years and we're still trying to recreate her double-crust chicken pie with dumplings. But look for Bell's Poultry Seasoning at your supermarket. Many women of that generation used it (I do, too.) and it makes a very noticeable difference in bird stuffing and dressings. It is in a little yellow paper box, in the spices section. Good luck!

Ok!! Anything made with Grand Marnier is great with me! And bread pudding... mmmmmmm. Waiting for those recipes Girl!!! Thanks!

Paul's pie is the best.

Thanks BR, can't wait to try this one!! We like chili here in Texas you know!!

Honey, I know. My mom's side of the family is from the Tyler area, and my sister lives in Irving.

But my Uncle Dick says that Texans don't put beans in their chili and don't use ground meat in it. I dunno.