Made-from-Scratch Cornbread

Don't get me wrong...I love Jiffy Cornbread Mix just as much as the next person. I, however, do not  like the extra preservatives included in each blue box. So, I decided to experiment and make my own cornbread from scratch. I amazingly had all the ingredients I needed, so I threw these together easily and quickly. 

They turned out great! If it tells you anything, my husband called them cornbread brownies because they were so sweet and delicious :)

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread
From All Recipes.com  
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cheddar and Corn Spoon Bread

I usually don't make a lot of sides with dinner, typically just a veggie of some sort. I decided to branch out a little bit and made this Cheddar and Corn Spoon Bread to go with steak I made the other night. 

While it was good and had a great texture, I think I prefer my Mom's corn casserole. It's sweeter tasting, not as bland and easier to throw together. I think maybe I'll try hers and "clean" it up. Stay tuned! :)

Cheddar and Corn Spoon Bread
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup buttermilk (shake before measuring)
3/4 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 large egg whites
1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar 

1. Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 2-quart soufflé dish.
2. Place cornmeal in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk baking powder, cayenne and salt. Bring milk just to a simmer; whisk into cornmeal until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, corn, butter, egg yolks, parsley and baking powder mixture.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites just until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites and 1/2 cup Cheddar into cornmeal mixture. Transfer to soufflé dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar.
4. Bake until top is golden brown and spoon bread is set around edges but still slightly jiggly in center, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta Salad

Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts this week. After the 4th, my Momma came back with us and we've been enjoying the week doing fun stuff with the kiddos. Plus, it's VBS week, so my time this week has gone out the window.

Last week, I did manage to make a clean dish for a weekend cookout at the lake. In the past, I used to make the boxed Suddenly Salads. But, alas, they were far from all-natural. Instead, I made all-natural and clean pasta salad. I even made a gluten-free variety for my Mom.

I just took pasta (use whatever's on hand), cooked it to al dente and rinsed in cold water. Add in chopped veggies (I used peppers, tomatoes, carrots and celery), cubed cheese and pepperoni. Mix together with all-natural Italian dressing and cool in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.