Cornbread Dressing (Sausage or Bacon)

For this recipe, you can use a store bought corn bread or you can make it yourself, I will admit, home made is better.

It's best to make the cornbread a day or two ahead of time. Then it's easy to dice up and toast for the dressing.

When you make the dressing, you can add 1/2 lb of sausage or bacon, or both. For a vegetarian option, diced red peppers and onions are a good alternative.

For the Cornbread:

Preheat oven to 400

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs

Whisk together eggs, honey, oil, milk, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add flour and cornmeal and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dry sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 recipe cornbread, 1/2 inch diced

Mix together the oil and seasonings in a large bowl. Lightly toss in cornbread and toast at 350 for 20-30 minutes until it starts to dry out and turn golden brown.

3-4 cups chicken stock
2 eggs
1/2 lb cooked sausage or bacon

Whisk together the eggs and 3 cups of the stock. Mix in the sausage or bacon and cornbread. Add more chicken stock, if needed to moisten the dressing.  Bake in a greased dish at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes, until the middle is set.