Cornbread

May, June and July tend to be our busiest months of the year - we literally live on a baseball or a softball field most evenings and most weekends.  They are my most challenging months in terms of cooking.  So - starting next week, I'll be starting a "Picnic at the Park" series.  I will feature recipes that are easy to make, easy to travel and easy to eat.  So, no spaghetti dinners - I tried that once, and it was a DISASTER to have a 3 year old try to eat spaghetti outside.  Mama mia!  I would LOVE to hear your ideas for meals that meet these 3 criteria!

I have been in search of a good cornbread recipe - I made one from a trusted, well known chef, and it turned out horrendous.  Everyone tried to choke it down, myself included, until we all decided that it wasn't even good enough for the dog to eat.  Oy vey!

I found this recipe in my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, and I have not found one bad recipe in this book yet.  It really is my go-to cookbook when I am looking to bake.  I found this recipe - and of course, it's a winner.  Waaaa-hooooo!!! 

Here's what I love about making cornbread - it's simple.  That's it.  No fancy kitchen tools.  Only takes a few minutes of my time before I toss it in the oven.  And - then we get to slather it in butter and eat it nice and hot.  Aaaahhhh. . . .

Oh - I guess I did make one little adjustment.  The original recipe calls for shortening.  I am not sure how you feel about shortening, but I hate the stuff.  So, I replaced it with butter - which I'll indicate below in the recipe.  :-)

Cornbread
Recipe by Martha Stewart's "The Baking Handbook", pg. 51

1/3 C vegetable shortening (I used 1/3 C butter, instead)
1 T unsalted butter
1 C corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 C stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 C milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Coat an 8" square baking pan with vegetable shortening (I used Pam with Flour spray); set aside.  Melt 1 T butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat; add corn.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn has softened and some of the kernels have begun to turn light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, and set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in the cornmeal.  Using a pastry blender, cut shortening (I used butter instead) into mixture until it resembles coarse meal.  Add milk, egg, and reserved corn; stir to combine.  Do not overmix. 

3. Transfer batter to the prepared pan, and bake until the top begins to turn golden and a cake tester comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Cornbread is best served the day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic, for up to one day.

This was a great accompaniment to Dr. Pepper Ribs, Sloppy, Sloppy Joes, Baked Bean Casserole, or Basic Baked Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. 

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!
Carina