Every year for 52 years, my mother has orchestrated the most delicious Thanksgiving meal for those we gather around the table. I've - happily - been assigned the flowers in my middle age and the place settings when I was younger.

This year, we won't be together, so I'm on my own. And I'm a little terrified. Mama assures me that her famous Southern Cornbread Dressing is a breeze to make. I'm not so sure about that. All the same, I'm sharing it here in hopes that we all have good luck preparing a meal for the ones we love:

Mary Mack's Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 

4 cups crumbled cornbread (make in advance, but not too far in advance. Recipe on the back of your favorite cornmeal)

3 or 4 pieces of crumbled bread or biscuit

28 ounces chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

3 eggs

1 cup butter, melted

Combine the crumbled bread, cornbread and chicken broth. Allow to soak. While cornbread is soaking, lightly saute onion and celery until onion is just translucent (no longer). Add onion and celery to cornbread mixture. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add melted butter. Place the mixture in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. (for a double recipe, baking time may be longer)