Corn Cake aka Cornbread

Some time back I was asked to talk about cornbread.  The yummy deliciousness of my southern life.  The crumbly, golden yellow bread that makes me smile throughout the whole meal.  The butter soaking bread that sits at the edge of your plate, waiting to be noticed and appreciated.

When I was a little girl my mother said that I called cornbread cake.  What a smart girl I was....   This stuff can be so delightful that you'll want to call it cake and eat it for dessert but don't do it.  Put it on the plate, let it sop up the gravy, break it up and put it on top of your beans and rice and save room for dessert.  (Dessert is an event in itself!)

But how to make it?  And NOT use a boxed kit?  Well lets see......Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and let the fun begin!

Those of you who already know me know we'll be starting with the basics.  Get out the corn.

What?  I see a look of concern on your face.  You did know that cornbread was made with corn, right?  Oh,  not that corn?  Bless your little heart, I bet you think chicken comes from the grocery store too, right?  Well get out your cornmeal and jump in when you're ready.  But I only thought it fair to show you the truest form of good ole' fashioned cornbread, Darlin'.

Put it in the mill (if you have one) and make your cornmeal.  If you don't have a mill but would really like some fresh-as-a-newborn-babe-cornmeal, then next time you come over for coffee, I'll send you home with a few cups.  See how pretty that looks?

You'll also need some regular flour and I like to use whole wheat flour.  Only the best, you know.  And yes, it gets milled too. 

 You'll want some farm-fresh eggs from a sweet little hen...

Can't you tell just by looking at those eggs that the hen was a happy girl walking her way around the farm, visiting with the girls, finding crunchy bugs to chew on and casting sweet glances in the direction of that no-good rooster?

Moving right along....this wasn't really meant to be a romantic recipe after all.

Measure out one-half cup of sugar

one teaspoon of salt

I use Real Salt.  It is our favorite.  Can you see the minerals in it?  I buy it in a large bag and just keep refilling my small shaker.

And you'll need your trusty baking power (aluminum-free, please) 

While you're busy getting your supplies together, measure out two cups of water and one-third cup of powdered milk. 

Put all of the ingredients in your mixer (that's my Bosch in the background...thanks, Mom! a million times over!) and mix for two minutes.

Grab your large cast iron skillet.....the one your grandmother left you in her will or the one you wisely purchased at that amazing garage sale and put two tablespoons of bacon grease in it.  This is the moment I'll hear plenty of you shouting....I don't keep bacon grease!  We try to stay away from those kinds of fats!  Only hillbillies eat bacon grease!  You have just entered Hillbilly World, Friend.

Put your skillet into the oven and let the skillet get hot.  The grease can't help but melt.  It will be your job to see that the bottom gets covered with the grease once it is completely melted.

Carefully take out the very heavy, very hot skillet.  Pour in your cornbread batter and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.  You'll know it is finished when the top is golden and your mouth is watering.

Now that looks mighty tasty, doesn't it?  Can you see why it makes good cake too?  Put a little butter on it and then drizzle some honey over that.  Oh, Babe, sit back and savor the moment....Corn Cake has just arrived.

Thank you again, Jonny.  You take amazing pictures of your Moma cookin!

The easy-to-read version, dull but easy-to-read:

2 cups cornmeal
2 cups flour
1/2 sugar
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons bacon grease

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except for bacon grease in mixer.  Add bacon grease to skillet and place in oven to heat.  Evenly spread out grease and pour in batter.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Good things do come in small packages....small packages with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese oozing out, small packages with tiny red pepper things slipped into the seams and small packages with bowls of homemade marinara sauce ready for the dipping.

Here they are beginning to get loaded with goodies. They aren't finished yet. I just wanted you to see the process. I'm dreaming up all of the other combinations I can squeeze into these little bundles. Italian sausage, black olives, pepper rings....

They wrap up just as pretty as you please. Once you bake them be prepared to run or hoard. Running means you won't get any and hoarding means you'll have a lot of explaining to do about that delicious aroma in the house.

I opted for running. I made 33 of them and invited teenage boys over (for a band practice) and between them and Beeb and her daddy, they were gone. Woosh, gone...and then there they were..... just scrounging around looking for more...darn boys!

I was inspired to make these from Chickens in the Road. I added a yummy dipping sauce. I think the sauce just takes it over the top.

I'm thinking maybe next time I'll hoard them. What they don't know won't hurt them, right? I'll just open the windows and let a breeze (albeit a 20 degree breeze) rush through the house clearing out all signs of fresh baked bread and pepperoni goodness.

Don't worry, I can't really do that. I'm southern and we're allergic to 20-degree breezes.


Care for a wee bite?

I'm Just Here for the Food

Superbowl Sunday....is it the team or the food that drives you?

For me it's all about the food although I don't mind hearing people go on about their favorite team. Backed into a corner, I almost always cheer for the underdog. Second thought, I ALWAYS cheer for the underdog. I can't help myself. It just seems like they need me! Can you tell that my gifts are compassion and mercy?

While those boys are out there passing that football across the grass, I'm curious, what are you passing around the livingroom today?

I decided to spend the day in the kitchen for the most part working on something delicious.

Winter and I have had a parting of ways. We aren't on the best terms anymore (were we ever?!) so I'm rebelling and focusing all of my cooking energies on the southern delicacies I've always known and loved. How about some home cookin'? Are you thinking BBQ shrimp? This isn't the traditional BBQ sauce (although that can be mighty tasty too). This version is full of.......something too fattening to discuss in public... in quantities too obscene to mention. (butter, shhh) Let's just say Paula Dean would be proud of me today. We'll leave it at that. It is loaded with fresh garlic too and other yummy spices. All of this adds up to a New Orleans delicacy too good to pass....quarterback or not.

And to sop up the gravy?

What else:
A sweet little artesian bread...not sweet as in Hawaiian but sweet as in, "I can make you feel better about the other team winning."

Turns out that's just what I needed. The underdog is still the underdog. And they still need me, even though I'm no great sports fan.

At least the food was a winner.

Teach a Girl to Cook.....

and she'll feed her teenage brothers for a while.

Yesterday, Jenna and I made an apple bread using a Pete-Bakes recipe. I found it to be too dry when using his exact measurements so I added a bit more milk. We also added a vanilla glaze (his recipe doesn't use one). These breads go so quickly at our house, especially when stuffed into lunches for work or when a stealthy maneuver occurs at midnight...which happens frequently around here!

Boy can those guys eat! We clock a lot of time in the kitchen working on old and new recipes, mostly created from scratch cooking, to feed this family.

Today I'm working on a delicious beef stew made with no-hormone beef and homemade beef stock. The stew meat is browned in oil for a crispy piece of meat and a built-in roux. I've also got a herb bread rising that is full of oregano, basil and garlic. Comfort is on it's way.