Homemade Cornbread Dressing

• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• About 5 to 6 cups crumbled cornbread (cornbread from a skillet of cornbread made with 2 cups cornmeal mix)
• About 3 cups stale, toasted, or fresh bread cubes (regular bread helps hold the dressing together and gives it a softer texture.)
• Handful of fresh chopped parsley
• Other herbs as you like--fresh chopped sage, marjoram, thyme, rosemary (or use any combination of dried herbs – about 1 teaspoon each rubbed sage, marjoram, thyme, rosemary)
• Generous amount of black pepper
• 3 to 4 cups chicken or turkey broth, homemade or canned.
• 2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

• 1
  Melt 1 stick of the butter in a large skillet. Cook the onions and celery in the butter over medium heat until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• 2
  Combine the crumbled cornbread and bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
• 3
  Stir in the cooked vegetables, parsley, herbs and black pepper. Blend well.
• 4
  Stir in the broth and eggs. Add enough broth so that the mixture is moist, but not soupy.
• 5
  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter.
• 6
  Pour the dressing into the prepared dish. Dot with the remaining butter.
• 7
  Bake the dressing right away or cover and refrigerate it overnight and cook it the next day.
• 8
  Cover lightly with foil and bake in a 375°F oven. Baking time will vary (if baked right away it should take about 45 minutes, out of the refrigerator closer to an hour).
• 9
  Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes for a nice crispy brown top.
• 10
  To be sure that the dressing is cooked through, check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. It should read at least 165°F.
• 11
  Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or oven.