Better Than Aunt Patti's Cornbread Dressing

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 cup celery, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 6 cups crumbled cornbread (two packages of martha or gladiola yellow cornbread mix )
• 2 teaspoons dried sage or 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chicken broth

Recipe

• 1 cook cornbread according to package directions. cook for the minimum time and don't let cornbread brown as much as you normally would. cut it up into pieces and after cool enough to handle then crumble it up leaving no large chunks and transfer to a very large mixing bowl. (i use the bowl from my kitchen aid).
• 2 in a microwaveable bowl (i use my four cup pyrex measuring cup) put in your onion and celery and 1 cup of water. microwave for 5-8 minutes until celery and onion are soft depending on how finely you sliced them. (keep the vegetable broth! it adds a of flavor!) drop in the butter and let melt.
• 3 combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix well until cornbread has absorbed most of the liquids. it will be a little soupy but don't worry about it. pour into a sprayed 9x13 casserole dish and bake at 425 for 30 minutes.
• 4 the center might still be a little wiggly but that is ok. it will set up nicely as it cools.
• 5 i cook in glass pyrex cookware so if you are using a dark metal 9x13 casserole pan the cooking time might need to be less. i really don't know. sorry.