Mom's Sausage and Cornbread Dressing

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add giblets and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard giblets, reserving water.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

3. Mix corn muffin mix, milk, egg, and shortening together in a bowl. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add celery, onion, and hot peppers and continue cooking 3 to 5 minutes more. Drain and discard grease. Transfer sausage mixture to a large mixing bowl.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole pan.

7. Add giblet water, turkey broth, bread crumbs, cornbread, remaining eggs, sage, salt, and black pepper to the sausage mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix together well and transfer to the prepared casserole pan.

8. Bake in the preheated oven until slightly brown on top with darker brown edges, about 45 minutes, checking often. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note:

This is the basic recipe and will give you a great-tasting, moderately spicy dressing. Omit the hot peppers and replace with bell or other mild peppers, if you prefer a more mild-tasting dressing.

Editor's Note:

The directions for making the cornbread are based on the particular brand mentioned. Follow instructions on the box if using a different brand.