A WALK IN THE PARK: Mom's cornbread dressing gave flavor to the season

Thinking back over my childhood, I have many vivid memories of past Thanksgivings. Back then, we didn’t usually have “big” Christmases, but it seems we always had “big” Thanksgivings. Maybe that is why it is my absolute favorite holiday.

Since there were a lot of us in my family, we celebrated this special day with a house full of people and food that set the taste buds dancing.

Some of the most exciting Thanksgivings I can remember were celebrated up on Burney Mountain in Madison County where I grew up. I was the fifth-born of six children so some of the older ones had gotten married, moved off and started families before I left home. I rememberhow much I anticipated all of them coming back home for one of Mom’s wonderful Thanksgiving meals.

My mother was a meticulous cook. Although she could often tell you something she would do a little differently next time she made a particular dish, it tasted perfect to me. She didn’t have a fancy kitchen, but the food she prepared was unbeatable. One of the favorites of the family was her homemade cornbread dressing. Oh, my goodness! Mom’s cornbread dressing became a tradition and the standard to me for what real dressing tastes like. It has only been the last few Thanksgivings that she was not well enough to continue the tradition and had to pass thetask to someone else. My sister Elaine has bravely volunteered to be the maker of the dressing. I don’t think any of the rest of us would dare try.

When I think back on the whole process Mom went through to make it, it is no surprise that the dressing tasted so good and is such a challenge to replicate. She went to great lengths to be sure it was just right. It was at least a two-day affair, starting with baking a pan or two of cornbread and then leaving it out on the counter for a day or so to … hummm … I don’t really know why she did this, but I think this step had a purpose. Maybe it was better if the cornbread used was not fresh out of the oven, but I am not sure.

Then, I remember that she would cut up and boil a whole chicken or two. In the early years these would have been some she raised on the place. When that was done, she removed the meat fromthe bones and reserved it along with the broth. She mixed the chicken pieces with the homemade cornbread crumbs and a few diced onions from thecellar. There was probably more that I don’t remember, but I know in the end she mixed it all together in a big round dishpan and seasoned it just right with salt, pepper and her home-grown sage from the garden.

By this point the kitchen had smelled of cornbread,chicken broth, onions and sage, not to mention the other dishes she was preparing, for two days straight. Our tastebuds couldn’t wait much longer. If a little of the dressing mix was left over after two large baking pans were filled, Mom would let us eat it uncooked. This wasa little appetizer before what was to come when all those fresh ingredients had baked together until perfection.

As I write this, it occurred to me that I should ask for Mom’s recipe. But, on second thought, I don’t know if she even had one. I don’t recall herreading anything as she went through the process. It seems to me she just always knew in her head when she had the right amount of each ingredient. Best my tastebuds remember she got it right every time!

Wishing each of you a Thanksgiving filled withmemorable food and happy family traditions.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 6 on 11/21/2012