First, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Secondly, let me introduce myself.
That was a joke because my posting has been anything but regular.
You do know who I am, right?
Okay, okay, now that you've assured me that you remember my quick wit and beauty (assumed), let's talk turkey.
Seriously, why do we break our backs (lower) putting together a meal large enough to feed a small village, when really, a bologna sandwich and some Lay's (yum) would work just was well.
We change the menu to sandwich and chips and take the money that we save from putting together the feast for millions which our family manages to consume over about three days, and we give it to families with children who worry about where their next meal is going to come from.
Those same families whose kiddos go to bed crying because they're so hungry.
Yes, here in America.
And, another thing.
The waste.
Have you ever given thought about how much food we waste in America?
I have.
It's shameful and that's what we should be - ashamed.
We shell out a few extra dollars this time of year in an effort to make Christmas special by buying food and putting presents under the trees of the less fortunate. And then we go on with the rest of our life until next November. (I know that there are a lot of us that support charities, tithe, etc., but let's put those aside and give me a chance to make a point followed by what I think is a great idea).
Yeah, it's one of my soapboxes.
And soapboxes tick me off.
............We sat down to a lovely lunch yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving.
It's a misnomer to me the we celebrate Thanksgiving by stuffing ourselves with food that would bless so many unfortunate people that have nothing to eat but a bologna sandwich and generic potato chips. When I think of who the unfortunate are I think of single mothers and their children.
Yes, there's lots wrong with the "system", but that's not what I'm talking about here - I'm talking about meeting the needs of others like Jesus would want us to do.
Yesterday I decided to teach you how to make the best cornbread dressing ever made.
I'm doing this for a reason.
My idea is that you make a double recipe of your favorite dressing, bake it and quarter it, divide it into 4 Ziploc bags. Buy four chickens, one for each 1/2 9" x 13" pan of dressing and find some homes in your community and make a blessing delivery to them. If you need help, ask your church for some names, ask any church. And, you can do more, as much as you want, to make these blessings the kind that bless the socks off people.
Oh, and do it this winter, January, February, March, when a good meal is most appreciated.
AND, it's not during the holidays when everyone is doing everything from feeding the poor a meal to singing at the nursing homes (another soapbox - how we neglect our elderly).
....Just a seed that God has encouraged me to plant.
Okay, now for my recipe for the best cornbread dressing in the world to get you in the spirit!
VERMILLION CORNBREAD DRESSING
Yield: 2 9" x 13" pans of ah-mazing dressing
Ingredients: Cornmeal
2 giant cans of chicken broth
2 large onions
2 bunches of celery
8 'brown and serve' sausage links (it's a breakfast sausage)
2 - Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing (crumbs)
a good amount of salt and pepper
Here's what 'cha do:
brown the sausage in a small skillet
and then crumble it (food processor works great)
chop the onions into two piles
clean and chop the celery into two piles
(chop small, but if you are teaching your 24 year old son,
Blake, how to make dressing and how to use
a food processor, be careful and watch
his every move or you will end up with
onion and celery puree.)
Barely cover the onion and celery (2 pans, remember?)
with water and simmer until translucent.
make 2 double recipes of cornbread OMIT THE SUGAR
(and, what I'm saying is that you double the recipe,
make one 9 x 13 and then double the recipe again and
make another 9 x 13)
(next, use your food processor if you have one)
I make one recipe at a time because, well,
vein' that my memory doesn't allow me to do 2 recipes at once.
So, that's how I'm going to tell you to put it all together.....
In a very large bowl
mix the sausage, onions and celery.
(I had to show you the puree. Pretty darn cute, isn't it?)
Add the bag of herb seasoning, S & P.
Mix.
Crumble the cornbread into the bowl.
Mix.
While you're doing this, be adding the
chicken broth at times.
When it's all mixed,
press into a PAM'ed pan
(Don't let this photo scare you. Keep reading.)
and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
Oh, baby.
Okay, I'm sure you're sitting there thinking that
I need some photography lessons so I can learn to
hold my camera steady while taking a picture.
Well, you're wrong.
I simply need to take off my readers
before I look through the view finder and
focus my camera.
Now for some family pictures.....
This is Clay taking out the biscuits out of the lower oven
that he had left there the last time he was here.
We smelled them getting toasty as we pre-heated the oven...
(above is a re-enactment of getting the biscuits
out of the oven.....Oven too hot to put hand
all the way in and no potholder. Guh-reat re-enactment!)
Yes, those are the biscuits.
This is Blake cleaning up some dishes.
When he saw I was taking pictures,
I kiddingly asked him to flex while washing.
Not a problem!! ( check out those guns!)
We had a great day as we enjoyed being together.
The meal gave Blake and myself some special time
together as he really did help me with a lot of the cooking.
Clay was in charge of clean-up and
he did a great job of being the boss.
The only thing missing was Craig and Jana.
This Thanksgiving was her family's turn.
We've got to figure something else out.
I'm not lovin' this taking turns.
Thank you for stickin' with me if you're reading this.
That means that you have kept looking for me between posts
and that you were having a slow day - this thing is lo-o-o-o-o-ong!!!
Blessings to you all,
Jan
P.S. I hope no one has read this post and thought I was lecturing. And, I want you to know that my chicken and dressing idea? It just came to me yesterday and it's on my calendar this winter to do exactly what I suggested that you do. Let's do it together!! (And, it doesn't have to be chicken and dressing - fix your favorite foods! Just do it!!:)
