Mimi's Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoons pepper black freshly ground
• 0.8 cup butter divided
• 1.3 cups buttermilk 
• 2 tablespoons canola oil divided
• 2 cups celery chopped
• 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix white
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 4 large eggs lightly beaten
• 0.7 cup flat-leaf parsley fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon sage fresh chopped
• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves fresh chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 5 cups chicken broth reduced-sodium
• 1 cup self-rising flour 
• 3 cups onion sweet chopped ( 1 large)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• wire rack
• baking pan
• microwave

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 40
2. Coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 1 Tbsp. oil; heat in oven 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, stir together cornmeal mix, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil.
4. Pour batter into hot skillet.
5. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until golden.
6. Remove from oven to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl. Stir 5 cups broth into crumbled cornbread until moistened, adding more broth, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. (
7. Mixture should resemble wet sand.)
8. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and celery, and saut 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.
9. Add onion mixture to cornbread mixture.
10. Microwave remaining 1/2 cup butter in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted. Stir melted butter, eggs, and remaining ingredients into cornbread mixture; spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
11. Bake at 400 for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until golden brown.
12. Serve immediately.