Bethany's Recipe Box

Bethany’s Cornbread Dressing My dear Nanny Kimble passed away about 20 years ago.  Upon her passing I was relegated as the official "dressin'" maker for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The problem is that my mother and other family folk are seeking a dressing that could only be achieved if Nanny were to pop down from Heaven and whip up a batch herself. A further problem is that even when Nanny made her dressing -God rest her sweet little soul - it was great some years, OK other years and virtually inedible on occasion. Of course the expectation is that I make it as good as Nanny did....when she did it well! SO, I have failed to meet the challenge thus far. I've tried all sorts of recipes, tweaked things, sought out the advice of really old people, added fun things like cranberries and even butternut squash to NO AVAIL! This year...Thanksgiving 2010...let it be known that I have officially nailed down the "Nanny Kimble" dressing! Yay! Here it is so I can't...

The "Whole Shebang" Seafood, Sausage, & Chicken Gumbo My grandmother, Ruby Fayard, always had a huge pot of Gumbo cooking on the stove-top in the Ocean Springs Seafood Market. I helped her many times and ,over the years, I picked up many of her methods. While no one can duplicate her exact Gumbo, this one that my family came up with is close. The primary difference is that Maw Maw didn't use chicken at all. Her Gumbo was exclusively seafood and sausage. I've added the chicken because, unlike 10 years ago, I don't have an entire seafood market at my disposal anymore and neither do most people!  Making Gumbo is a very imprecise process but I've tried my best to lay out the important steps. You can add more or less of anything listed. You can make a small pot or a 20 gallon pot. This recipe assumes somewhere between 5-15 gallons. Once you are at the simmering stage, it's a good time to assess if the gumbo needs anything else. If you're staring ...