Cornbread & Bacon Stuffing

Stuffing foods, particularly meat carcasses, has been around almost since the beginning of time. The earliest written evidence of stuffing is in the Roman cookbook Apicius De Re Coquinaria, which includes recipes for stuffing chicken, pig, hare, and dormouse. The word “stuffing” comes from the Old French word estoffe, which means “to fill up”.

The word stuffing is only one name it is known as. Over the centuries, stuffing has also been known as Farce: Around 1390; Stuffing: 1538; Forcemeat: 1688; and Dressing: 1850 in the United States, particularly in the southern states.

Stuffing has been an American Thanksgiving tradition since around the 1800’s. The terms “dressing” or “stuffing” are often used interchangeably, and the term used depends on the region where it is prepared. In the southern United States, the term “dressing” is more common, while in the northern states, the term “stuffing” is more common. I grew up in Southern California, where it was called stuffing, but my mother was from Southeast Texas, so she often called it dressing. I grew up with both terms. Stuffing can be made with a variety of ingredients, including bread, rice, potatoes, saltines, and masa harina. The ingredients used are regional.

I make stuffing every Thanksgiving, as do most Americans. Since there are so many different versions, I mix it up and make different kinds all the time. This year, I made a cornbread and bacon stuffing.

Cornbread & Bacon Stuffing

I cheated a bit this year, and that is perfectly OK too. I did make my own stuffing and added some more day-old bread that I cubed as well, but I did purchase a bag of Pepperidge Farm cornbread cubes too. I didn’t have time to make my own cornbread first. If I am going to cheat, I am going to cheat by using the best. 🙂

Preheat he oven to 375*F or 191*C.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

1 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread cubes

1/2 loaf sourdough bread, cubed

1 apple, peeled and diced fine

3-5 celery ribs, rinsed and diced small

1 onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1/2-3/4 lbs bacon, diced and cooked

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 tsp each dried thyme, marjoram and/or fines herbs, or herbs or your choice

4-5 cups chicken or turkey stock, or more as needed

Cook the bacon, onions, celery, apple and garlic together in olive oil and/or butter until they are soft and translucent and the bacon is cooked.

In a large bowl, combine the cornbread, bread, cooked vegetables, bacon and seasonings, and mix together well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Pour the broth or stock over the bread mixture, and firmly press it into the bread. You want the bread to be completely saturated and soaked. Pour as much of the broth in as needed.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour. If you like a little crust on your stuffing, remove the foil around the last 15-20 minutes of the cooking process and continue to cook uncovered. It will be nice and moist and will go with any dish you want to serve it with.

Today, most people do NOT stuff the turkey with the stuffing, for a few reasons. But the most important reasons are to NOT cross contaminate the foods and to allow all the foods to cook properly on their own, as they need to and to get at the proper temperatures.

Stuffing, or dressing, is very popular at Thanksgiving, but that is not the only time we eat it. In fact, I just served some of our leftover stuffing with our leftover curried pork chops Curried Pork Chops just last night. Stuffing, or dressing, is good anytime, with almost any dish you want to serve it next to. Stuffing isn’t just for Thanksgiving anymore. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time,