Dishing It Up Recipe Hop - Thanksgiving Side Dishes

I am ecstatic to present to you the Dishing it Up recipe hop along with this fine group of ladies:  Thrifty Texas Penny, Mama's Money Tree, Deals From Ms. Do, Saving Myself Silly, Dearly Domestic, 20 Something Saver, The Happy Lil' Homemaker, Saving By Design, and Eating With MiMi.

No Thanksgiving meal served below the Mason-Dixon line is complete without cornbread dressing - a beautiful marriage of earthy cornbread and sagey goodness.  In proper Southern Cornbread Dressing there are no oysters in sight. You don't put random chestnuts or ridiculous things like fruit or mushrooms in the mix.   (Know your place mushrooms!) 

Let us be clear, dressing is not the same thing as stuffing.  Dressing gets presented in its own dish alongside the turkey whereas stuffing gets, well, stuffed inside the bird. 

Here's the true unadulterated masterpiece that is Cornbread Dressing.  This recipe is to taste and you can taste away right up until you put the raw eggs in the mix (if you so choose to use eggs.) 

Momma's Cornbread Dressing

1 1/2c. Onion, chopped
1 1/2c. Celery w/Leaves, chopped
5c. Cornbread, crumbled (about 3 pans worth)
2 - 3c. Chicken Broth (homemade is best with some giblet meat in it)
5c. Dry, Day Old Crumbs
2tsp. Sage (you can also use poultry seasoning)
1/2tsp. Pepper
2 Eggs, scrambled*
2 + 2Tbs. Butter

Saute onion & celery in 2 Tbs. butter.  Combine with bread crumbs, cornbread, sage, eggs, & pepper.  Mix well.  Moisten the mixture with the broth and make it a little wetter than you think it should be.  Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and scoop mixture into pan.  Dot the top with remaining 2 Tbs. butter.  Cover and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.  You don't want the dressing too dry but if it is, mix in some gravy and no one will know the difference. 

*Eggs are optional but if you don't use them, adjust your cooking time down.