A seafood dressing made with the trinity, cornbread and French bread crumbs, shrimp, crabmeat and oysters.

Seafood Cornbread Dressing

There are so many different kinds of dressings out there, the most common ones in the South being one made with cornbread, another made including chicken and the other with only staled bread in the form of sandwich bread, French bread or leftover rolls or biscuits and the addition of herbs.

I've made cornbread dressing both with and without any kind of bread, but I find that I prefer the texture of cornbread dressing when it includes some bread with the cornbread. It's another one of those Southern things that folks tend to argue about though, because there are some who will tell you that only cornbread should be in your cornbread dressing, and that is the only way.

Well. Y'all know what I say about that! 

A creamy soup, made with a light roux, the trinity, stock, milk, artichokes, fresh oysters and finished with a garnish of quartered artichoke and smoked oysters.

Oysters and Artichoke Soup

Let's start off by saying that I do realize that oysters aren't everybody's thing.

They certainly weren't a thing for me when I was younger, that's for sure, and I've shared that story here before. But... let's just say as I matured as an adult, my love of oysters grew and the holidays are certainly when they show up.

I mean, c'mon. I grew up on the Gulf Coast!

A slow-stewed whole chicken finished with rolled buttermilk dumplings.

Chicken with Rolled Buttermilk Dumplings

I love chicken and dumplings but you know what? Although drop dumplings are and will always be my favorite, I'm not particularly married to chicken and dumplings done one way and one way only.

I'm just too adventurous for that!

There are so many different methods and even types of dumplings out there and I like trying them all. Hey, life is short, right?

One thing is for certain. A big bowl of stewed chicken with dumplings is comfort food 101.