by Dorothy Johnson of Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge

For most of us, the holidays are enriched by family traditions sometimes established by someonewho’s no longer with us. But a custom doesn’t magically pass from one generation to another. Instead, it endures when someone younger embraces it and shares it with those they love. For my daughter and me, one such tradition is preparing my mother’s cornbread dressing during the holidays. No turkey is complete without Grandma’s dressing.

Terry, Maria and me with my mother and dad, back when Mom began to give us dressing-making lessons.

The last time Maria and I made this holiday staple, I realized the conversation surrounding its preparation had become a tradition in itself. Each year, if you joined us in the kitchen, you’d heara variation of the following:

“Why are you making biscuits in the middle of morning?” Maria asks, as she sautés onions and celery in butter.

“For the dressing. Grandma always added a couple of biscuits and rolls to the cornbread.”

Later, I crumble the rolls, biscuits and cornbread into my biggest bowl.  “Did Grandma put eggs in her dressing?”

“You always ask that, but I don’t think she did.”

“I’ll leave them out.”

In obedience to Mother’s voice in my head, I pour a generous amount of broth into thebread mixture and say aloud, “Make it sloppy so it won’t dry out.”

Then I cautiously add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage, frequently stopping to taste. It’s easier to add more than to deal with too much.

“Needs more poultry seasoning.” I sprinkle and sample again. “Is this about right?”

“I’m leaving that up to you,” Maria says.

In this manner, I season and taste my way to a dish as closely resembling Mother’s dressing as possible. And in the process, she is with us in the kitchen, encouraging us as always with the thought that whatever the outcome, it will be just right.

Somewhere in what I hope will be the distant future, I hear a similar conversation going on between Maria and her girls. After all, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving and Christmas withoutGrandma’s Cornbread Dressing.

Maria and her daughters, Caroline and Emily

 

Dorothy Johnson is an Arkansas girl who says she should have been interviewed for Gail Sheehy’s book PASSAGES because of the number of different jobs she’s had. She’s taught junior high English, spent time at home raising kids, worked as a writer and an associate editor at Leisure Arts and functioned as a liaison to the community and cardiologists at Baptist Health. Now she writes about life from her home overlooking the Arkansas River in Little Rock. Check out her blog, Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge at http://reflectionsfromdorothy.blogspot