Follow our complete, step-by-step, instructions to learn how to make Annie’s Thanksgiving Dressing. Easy as can be.
This cornbread dressing starts with Jiffy® Muffin Mix and Pepperidge Farms® Stuffing mix. Goes together quick and easy for less stress when making your Thanksgiving Day meal.
We all have our favorites when it comes to sitting down to the table for Thanksgiving dinner. I certainly have mine.
If we’re having turkey, as is the standard, I’m also looking for some really good dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some of that straight out of the can Cranberry Sauce. They’re just basic essentials to me. Must haves. Smile.
My longtime friend Annie, shared this recipe for how she likes to make dressing for her Thanksgiving meals.
Annie has long claimed that she is not a good cook, but I beg to differ. She claims that when she gets invited to a potluck, they always ask her to bring the paper products because everyone knows she can’t cook. Smile. So, when she said this recipe was easy, I figured I certainly had to give it a try.
When I asked her about the pears called for in the recipe, she said they gave the dressing moisture, which she likes.
I guess at one time or another, we’ve all tried to spruce up someones dressing by drowning it in gravy. Dry dressing just happens sometimes. Smile.
I mention this below, but it does warrant mentioning here as well. Be careful with the addition of salt as the recipe calls for. I used unsalted butter, it was what I had, so I needed to add some salt at the end to bring it up to my personal taste.
Also, I waited until everything had been mixed together, except the eggs, so I could taste the mixture to see if it needed any additional seasonings. Once I had it tasting right, I mixed in the eggs and proceeded to bake the dressing.
Some folks like a lot of sage in dressing. And, while I like sage, I can’t handle a lot of it because it will give me heartburn. But, that’s just me. Smile.
With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, I do hope you might consider Annie’s Dressing to go along with your holiday meal. I found it to be nice and moist, but also firm enough that you could cut it into squares for serving. I was very pleased. Thank you Annie.
Ready to give Annie’s Thanksgiving Dressing a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Annie’s Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe – You’ll need these ingredients.
Prepare the cornbread following the instructions on your package. You can make this a day or two ahead of time if you like. I added some milk and one egg to the packet that came in the box then baked it.
Go ahead and dice your onions and your celery.
Next time I do this, I’ll chop my veggies a bit finer. They don’t cook down any when baking, so keep that in mind. Some folks might not like biting into a hunk of celery or onion either one. Just saying.
Grab a large bowl. You’ll need a pretty big one for all of the ingredients. Then, crumble up your pan of cornbread into the bowl.
Add the bag of stuffing mix next.
Add the chicken stock. You’ll want to use stock instead of broth as the stock is a bit thicker and has more flavor.
Add the diced onions and celery to the bowl.
Drain the syrup off of the canned pears.
Dice or chop the pears into small pieces.
Add the pears, then add the melted butter to the bowl.
Add the salt.
Annie said all the seasonings were done to taste. I wanted to give you more exact measurements so I’ve included those in the recipe. Be careful with the salt. Keep in mind that you may be using salted butter, or salted chicken stock as your ingredients.
Add the black pepper.
Add the thyme.
Add the sage.
Sage is one of those spices that some folks like and some don’t. Use your own judgement with this one. I added a 1/2 teaspoon, but did add a bit more once I tasted it. It’s all about personal preference. Smile.
Grab a large spoon and stir the mixture until you have it fully combined. Be sure to stir down to the bottom and get all the dry ingredients mixed in well.
Once it’s mixed, taste the dressing to see if you might want to add any more of the seasonings to it. As I mentioned, I added a bit more sage. I’m not a real big fan of sage but I did think a little more would be about right for me.
And, keep in mind that we are only tasting at this point since we haven’t yet added the raw eggs. I saved that part for next so you could safely taste it first.
Finally, add the eggs into the mixture. Stir it all again until you have worked the eggs in well.
Butter your baking dish. We’re using a glass 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish for this. Spread the butter in the bottom and all up the sides.
Pour the dressing into your baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Place the dish in a oven that has been pre-heated to 350ºF degrees. Let it bake for 20-30 minutes until slightly browned on top and as Annie says, “until the middle no longer jiggles.”
Ovens do vary, so just watch it carefully and don’t let the top burn. I used a digital thermometer and let mine bake until the internal temperature was 200 degrees to make sure the eggs were properly cooked. You could also test it with a toothpick like you do with cakes. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it pulls out dry and free of crumbs, your dressing is done.
Remove the dressing from the oven when it’s done. Place it on a wire rack and let it cool about 20-30 minutes before serving. Mine was very moist inside, and it was firm enough to cut into squares. Good stuff.
Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
