Still trying....

Good Wednesday morning to you! 

I am still trying to think of myself as a person with a camera.:-)  Although I had the camera with me on Tuesday when I was at church with the adult day care, it just didn't occur to me to take it out and take that picture of the plate as served!  Thankfully, there were leftovers, and I recreated the plate when I arrived home.

Ready to eat!

Today's recipe is TEENY'S HEN AND DRESSING.  The recipe comes from the December 2007 issue of the magazine Cottage Living

1 (3-pound) hen or whole fryer chicken
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
8 cups Cornbread (recipe follows), crumbled
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 1 to 2 Tablespoons dried sage
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (I omitted these).
- Rinse hen under running water; remove giblets and place hen in a Dutch oven with enough water to cover.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.  Remove hen from pot, and keep liquid warm.  Pull meat from bone once hen cools, and discard carcass.  Tear meat into small pieces (about 3 cups).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Crumble Cornbread into a large bowl.  Add onion and celery, sage, remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper.  Bring reserved cooking liquid to a boil, and stir 4 cups into mixture, 1 cup at a time.  Dressing should be loose but not gummy.  Add more cooking liquid as needed.  Lightly stir in chicken and egg.
- Spoon dressing into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes or until heated through and slightly browned on top.  To make ahead, cover dressing and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking.
CORNBREAD
1 slice bacon
2 cups white self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place bacon in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place in hot oven 5 to 10 minutes or until fat is rendered.
- Mix cornmeal and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Remove skillet from oven, reserve bacon strip for another use, and stir 1 Tablespoon grease into cornmeal mixture.  Pour batter into hot skillet, and bake 20 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

Now, I made some adjustments to this recipe and directions when I was preparing this dish.  I purchased rotisserie chickens rather than cooking my own.  Also, I have made my own recipe for cornbread when I have prepared this for the family before.  I need to add as well that I didn't use bacon in the iron skillet, but substituted healthier canola oil.  I used organic, low-sodium chicken btoth.

The participants - and staff - at the adult day care were very appreciative of the lunch.  The next date for me to provide lunch is Tuesday, December 4. 

There are other recipes that I will be sharing.  Hopefully you will return!

Thank you for your visit.  I appreciate  your comments.