Is it Stuffing or Dressing?

Since we have just celebrated another WONDERFUL Thanksgiving, I thought I would explain the difference between "dressing" and "stuffing". 

I grew up eating "stuffing" every year while my husband grew up eating "dressing" every year.  In fact, I had never eaten dressing until my first Thanksgiving with my husband and up until then, I always thought they were one and the same. 

Stuffing is made with bread "cubes", onions, celery, eggs, butter and sage as the main spice.  Now you don't need to buy bread crumbs or the cubes labeled for stuffing, just tear your bread into chunks and be done with it.  You will save money and be healthier by using your homemade bread.  Mix the bread, eggs, butter, celery and onion together.  Add a little salt and lots of sage and mix well.  Now you "stuff" this into the bird that is not cooked.  Once the bird is stuffed, you roast the bird on 325 until it is done.  Check your Betty Crocker cookbook for cooking times.

Dressing is normally made with cornbread.  You will make your cornbread just like you always do unless you are cooking for a large number of people in which case you might want to double the recipe.  After the cornbread is cooked and cooled, crumb the corn bread.  Add turkey broth that you collect from your roasting pan as well as celery and onions.  Place this back into the cookware that you used to make the cornbread and bake for another 30 minutes on 350.  Now you have "dressing". 

Ingredients for stuffing and dressing may vary, but what defines each item is "how" it is cooked.  If it is cooked in a bird, it is stuffing; if it is cooked in a pan, it is dressing.

Our family enjoys both for Thanksgiving because it would not be Thanksgiving for "me" if we did not have stuffing; and it would not be Thanksgiving for "my husband" if we did not have dressing.  And my children would not know a Thanksgiving without both!