Mimmie's Cornbread Dressing

I've had several requests as of late for this recipe, so here you go, just in time for Christmas dinner! Cornbread dressing, from what I understand, became a tradition in my family because of my great-aunt who was allergic to wheat. They made the cornbread with cornmeal only and used Post Toasties or Corn Flakes as a filler. It is personally my FAVORITE dressing and my finicky Big Daddy who is not at all a fan of dressing or stuffing even likes it! So it's sure to please even the pickiest palate!

Now as a side note, I use cornbread made with cornmeal AND flour in my version of this recipe. I like the texture better with a softer cornbread. But the recipe is perfectly good whether you use flour or not in your cornbread. This recipe will make a 9 X 13" pan of dressing.

Ingredients:
1 pan of Cornbread*
Celery and onion
Corn Flakes or Post Toasties
Chicken or turkey broth
Salt and pepper
2 Eggs

*Cornbread recipe: (And you can do this the day before, get one more thing done ahead of time! This a great recipe whether you're wanting it for dressing or just to eat!)

1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar (I actually cut this in half for the dressing though, it's too sweet otherwise)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil

Mix dry ingredients well then add milk, eggs and oil, stirring after each one. Make sure ingredients are well mixed, bake either in greased muffin pans, a pie pan or 8X8 pan at 400*F for about 25 min.

For the dressing:
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Break up the cornbread into a LARGE bowl (dressing expands exponentially when your mixing it!).
Take a small-med. onion and about 2-3 stalks of celery (make sure you utilize the leaves, they make the dish look so fresh and lovely), cut them fine or give them a quick spin in the food processor. You don't want them to be mush, but very finely chopped with all the yummy juices. I know some recipes call for them to be sauteed, but I put them in fresh and it's wonderful! Mix them with the cornbread. Add some broth to begin softening the mixture. Add Corn Flakes and mash everything together. I alternate broth and Corn Flakes until I have the consistency that I want. This consistency should be SMOOTH and MOIST. It needs to be slightly thick, almost like a porridge, but not so thick that it will cook up dry and lumpy. It needs to be moist but not wet or drippy. Once you have a consistency that you like, add salt and pepper to taste. When you have it seasoned to your satisfaction, add two beaten eggs, stir well then pour into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake for about 30-45 minutes. It should be golden brown and you should be able to stab it with a toothpick and have it come out clean. Then serve with your turkey and a lovely gravy and your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner will be AWESOME! I hope you enjoy one of my favorite family traditions! Cheers!