Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread

When we were in college, my pals and I would converge on the restaurant Famous Dave's for barbecue. Ribs weren't really my thing, but the cornbread muffins? Oh, good gracious. I could (and did) eat my weight in Famous Dave's cornbread muffins. (And I wondered why I gained the freshman fifteen.)

Those cornbread muffins were sweet and tender. It was pretty much an excuse to eat dessert for dinner. (Not that I've ever needed an excuse.) A little lot of honey drizzled on top took them to stratospheric levels of deliciousness.

Recently I found a carton of buttermilk languishing in the fridge, and a stroke of genius came over me. I could make my own cornbread just like Famous Dave!! I could eat dessert for dinner! My son was up for a baking project, and the two of us whipped up Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread in no time.

Now, I don't own a successful restaurant chain or anything, but I actually like this cornbread better than Famous Dave's. (Sorry, Dave.) It's not quite as sugary and has more corn flavor and texture than the muffins I enjoyed in college. Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread is the perfect side for your next barbecue.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

P.S. Amy has a delicious Southern Cornbread recipe. If you're looking for legit cornbread from a legit southerner, check it out. True southern cornbread ain't sweet like this one, but I ain't southern. Amy, hope you're not hanging your head in shame when you read this!

Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
Adapted from All Recipes

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup 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. Grease an 8" square baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Stir in eggs until combined, then stir in buttermilk and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. (Don't overmix.)

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Serve warm with butter and honey if you want to guild the lily.

My little chef got hungry when we were taking pictures for the blog. Can't blame him!

Enchilada Casserole

February has me in the doldrums. It is dark and rainy and all-around dreary. I'm sick of winter, but we still have a month to go before spring. This bleak weather has me craving comfort foods. And Enchilada Casserole fits the bill quite nicely.

A rich cornbread crust is topped with spicy ground beef and a blizzard of shredded cheese. It is simple and delicious, the perfect weeknight meal.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

P.S. I haven't tried it, but I bet you could substitute cooked, shredded chicken for the ground beef. It would be the perfect way to use up leftover roast chicken!

Enchilada Casserole

Adapted from Pinch of Yum and Skinny Mom

Serves: 6

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 (14 ounce) can cream style corn

1 package (8.5 ounce) cornbread mix (like Jiffy)

1 tablespoon oil

1 pound ground turkey or ground beef

4 teaspoons taco seasoning

Salt

1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce, divided

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 8" x 8" baking dish and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and corn. Stir in cornbread mix. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes, until cornbread is just set and golden brown. 

While the cornbread is baking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Cook turkey, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and salt to taste. Allow spices to toast for 1 minute. Stir in half of the enchilada sauce.

Once cornbread is baked, pierce it all over with a fork. Slowly pour the remaining half of the enchilada sauce over the baked cornbread. Top with cooked ground turkey. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Allow casserole to rest 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve with sour cream. 

Family Cornbread

Growing up I don't think I ever knew you could make cornbread from a Jiffy box or that some "cornbread" is sweet. Now I'm more than all grown  up and here to tell you that cornbread should never come from a box or taste sweet.

My family always made homemade savory cornbread. That's why I call this Family Cornbread. My Ohio-born mom learned how to make it after marrying my Tennessee-born dad. Cornbread and homemade banana pudding with scratch-made (no box!) vanilla pudding.

Growing up we'd have Family Cornbread and beans for dinner. My grandma would make it to use in her cornbread stuffing, which also featured hard boiled eggs, the neck of the turkey and sage. (Note to self: Make grandma's stuffing.)

I serve Family Cornbread with all kinds of meals: beans, pulled pork, brisket -- to name a few. My BFF Andrea serves it with her Turkey, Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili.

And while I don't keep  boxes of cornbread mix in my pantry, I do keep Ziploc bags of Family Cornbread mix. It's a trick I learned from Mom. Get an assembly line of bags going in your kitchen and add enough dry ingredients to each to make one cornbread. Smart.

XOXO,
Amy

Family Cornbread

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup yellow or white cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
4 tablespoons melted shortening (Mom and I just use olive oil.)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (Mom and I use light buttermilk.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch cast iron skillet; I use Crisco.

Combine ingredients -- dry first and then wet -- and pour into prepared skillet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown at the edges and pulling away from the pan. Remove from oven and immediately flip the cornbread onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve with butter. Enjoy!