Turkey Dressing

Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC
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In 1887 a Good Housekeeping reader wrote in with the following recipe:

"The following directions for making an excellent "turkey dressing" may be of service to your readers at the festive season of the year: Take one pint of soaked bread, and season with two teaspoonfuls of salt and Bell's poultry spice to suit the taste (on account of the purity, not more than a tablespoonful to the dressing for an eight-pound turkey), also one tablespoonful of butter, or fat, salt pork cut up very fine. An egg, well worked in, will make the dressing cut up nicely."

—A.M.B. Pittsfield, Mass.

Source: "Dressing for Fowls." Good Housekeeping. December 10, 1887.


This got me curious about Bell's poultry spice.

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"In 1867, William G. Bell began America’s oldest seasonings and spice brand in Boston, with a unique combination of herbs and spices that he simply called Bell’s Seasoning. Trading ships from around the globe carried his prized ingredients into Boston Harbor and Bell’s Seasoning soon became a treasured staple of kitchens throughout New England."

http://www.bellsfoods.com/about/
 
I had never heard of Cornbread stuffing until I was in my twenties. We always had bread stuffing, and NO POTATOES in it, thank you very much, an insidious habit of those who live in the Maritime provinces! Blaggghhhhh!!!

I make a cornbread stuffing for chicken breasts with green onions, dried cranberries, and apple cider. It is really good.
 
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Ellie. I never had cornbread dressing and our family always had regular day old bread crumbs and mixture of fresh and cooked herbs in butter for our dressing. Very interesting information. David.
 
I've never had Stovetop. Folks would think I was crazy if I served that here. Of course you know what they say, "Here in the South, we don't hide our crazy. We parade it on the front porch and offer it a cocktail." :giggle:
:roflmao:

My graduate degree is in Southern gothic literature. This is not a terribly useful degree to have in the grand scheme of things, but it was an interesting program. I was also one of the only students from the South. One day, we were discussing something like Flannery O'Connor. I was so confused when my classmates were saying they thought the characters were unbelievable--nobody was this crazy. One of my classmates from south Arkansas was the only one who backed me up. But we were both like, "You mean there are people who aren't like this? How boring!" :laugh:
 
:roflmao:

My graduate degree is in Southern gothic literature. This is not a terribly useful degree to have in the grand scheme of things, but it was an interesting program. I was also one of the only students from the South. One day, we were discussing something like Flannery O'Connor. I was so confused when my classmates were saying they thought the characters were unbelievable--nobody was this crazy. One of my classmates from south Arkansas was the only one who backed me up. But we were both like, "You mean there are people who aren't like this? How boring!" :laugh:


“THIS IS THE SOUTH AND WE’RE PROUD OF OUR CRAZY PEOPLE. WE DON’T HIDE THEM UP IN THE ATTIC, WE BRING THEM RIGHT DOWN TO THE LIVING ROOM TO SHOW THEM OFF. NO ONE IN THE SOUTH EVER ASKS IF YOU HAVE CRAZY PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY, THEY JUST ASK WHAT SIDE THEY’RE ON.” – DIXIE CARTER
 
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