Cornbread

No, I'm not dead!  I'm still here! 

I have been cooking, but I either seem to make something that's not novel enough to post about or I forget to take a picture.  Which leads me to cornbread...  I made this so I could make Farm Boy's mother's chicken and dressing.  The dressing turned out pretty good (I think it would have met her expectations), but I forgot to take a picture.  I did, however, get a picture of the cornbread and since it's a recipe I really like, I'm sharing it so I can say I've posted something.

I always make the Canary Corn Sticks recipe from the 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, but I bake it in a cast iron skillet instead of a corn stick pan.  The key is to heat the skillet beforehand in the oven, then throw in a couple tablespoons of butter to melt.  When the butter is sizzling, add the cornbread batter and pop it back in the oven.  This gives the cornbread a great crust, especially where the butter oozes over the top of the batter around the edges.

That is some buttery goodness around the edge of the pan

Most of this cornbread went into the dressing recipe, but we did have a couple pieces left.  The next morning they were sliced in half and toasted on the griddle, then drizzled with maple syrup.  Leftover cornbread makes for a mighty fine breakfast.

Cornbread (Printable Recipe)

from the 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book recipe, Canary Corn Sticks

Ingredients

1 egg

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 teaspoon sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons butter (for skillet)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F.  When the oven is hot, add a 10" cast iron skillet to the oven to heat it.  After about 5 minutes, add the 2 tablespoons butter and let it begin to sizzle before adding batter.

Beat the egg and buttermilk until well combined.  Stir together the soda, flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add to egg mixture, along with melted butter, and beat together.  Pour batter into heated/buttered skillet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.