Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

There is a lot to be thankful for. I have a much more open and honest life in Vermont as an out and proud gay man. I don’t have to constantly hide in the closet like I was forced to do in Alabama. I have a job that I love, and that I think is rewarding. While I may complain about my job sometimes, I love what I do. I am very thankful for leaving full-time teaching to be a museum professional. I love working in the museum world, and I wish I could have discovered that earlier in my life, but I am thankful I have found it now. I am also thankful for my faithful companion, my beautiful Isabella. She brings me so much joy, even if she likes to wake me up at 4 am to be fed.

 

More important, I have some wonderful friends. One such friend is Susan. I don’t know what I’d do without her love and support. She’s been there for me when I needed someone the most. I’m also thankful for all my blog friends out there. As long as you keep reading, I plan to keep writing. I’ve made some really wonderful friends through this blog. Some are no longer with us, and I will miss them every day for the rest of my life. They made their way into my heart, and they will always live on in my heart and memories. Thankfully, there are those of you who are still with us, and I always look forward to your comments and emails. I may not always be able to answer my comments, and I may take a while to answer emails, but I read and cherish every one of them.

 

I’m also thankful for the beautiful meal I am preparing today: roast chicken with croutons (I prefer chicken to turkey), cornbread dressing (the recipe for the cornbread will be at the end of this post), collard greens, and dulce de leche lava cakes for dessert. I made the cornbread and prepared the dulce de leche for the lava cakes last night. I’ve already started the collard greens (they take a while to cook), and I’ll soon mix up the dressing.

 

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday? 

And what are you planning to eat today?

 

 

 

Recipe for the Cornbread for Dressing 

It’s a little different from how I usually make my cornbread—it has more seasonings.

 

Cornbread for Dressing

Adapted from feastandfarm.com

 

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising cornmeal mix (not just plain cornmeal)

¼ cup self-rising flour

1 ½ Tbsp butter

⅞ cups buttermilk or regular milk (Start with 1 cup of liquid if you are using regular milk and

add the rest as necessary)

½ tsp celery salt, or to taste

0.75 tsp onion powder (you can use one small yellow (or Vidalia) onion instead)

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional

⅛ tsp of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

¼ tsp of sage (or Bell's seasoning), or to taste, optional

½ tsp of poultry seasoning

 

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt butter as the oven preheats in an 8" x 8" pan.

3. Add cornmeal, self-rising flour, and seasonings in a bowl and mix with a fork. Make a well

in the center of the mixture for the butter and buttermilk.

4. Add the butter and buttermilk to the well.

5. Mix until combined.

6. Spray pan with additional butter-flavored PAM. Pour batter into the baking pan.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.