Southern Skillet Cornbread

To go with my veggie chili, cornbread is requisite. I think chili without cornbread is like peanut butter without jelly. Each is just better with its accompaniment. Since baking is not really my forte (I'm a rebel and like to change things up ... you'll see in a minute), I went with a recipe from my old standby cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens 75th anniversary edition. Like my mom's old, tattered, literally falling-apart Betty Crocker cookbook, this cookbook has served me well, and will likely one day be in the same state as hers. 

 

Grandma says: In the skillet is always better.

I started by gathering all the ingredients: sugar, cornmeal, flour, milk, baking powder, eggs, creamed corn and butter for the skillet.

So, like I said, I have trouble actually following a recipe. Both the creamed corn and coconut milk (in that random plastic container) were substitutions. Instead of oil, I used the corn. Normally I would've used applesauce or Greek yogurt, but it so happened I had some creamed corn already open. It worked out quite nicely, being that, you know, I was making cornbread. Instead of regular ol' milk, I used the coconut milk, simply because I had already opened the can and needed to use it up.

So first I combined all the dry ingredients.

And then added wet to dry.

 

Next I melted about a tablespoon of butter in the cooking vessel, my cast iron skillet inherited from my Texan grandmother. Since the last time I made cornbread, I inherited three skillets from Grandma, and the size I used this time was more appropriate for one recipe of cornbread.

I'm sure there's a way to photograph this well, but I sure don't know it.

I then dumped all the mixture into the skillet and into the oven it went.

Then out came this glorious, chewy cornbread.

Mmm Mmm!

Cornbread

from Better Homes and Gardens 7th anniversary edition

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 Tbls sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbls butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk (I used lowfat coconut milk)

1/4 cup oil or melted butter (I used creamed corn)

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add the 1 Tbls butter to cast iron skillet. Place in 400* oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven; swirl butter in pan to coat bottom and sides of pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine eggs, milk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.