Cornbread - I wonder why?

[jmcquown]

With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy baguettes,
herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell
cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern U.S.)?
Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.

Of course, you can purchase mixes if you aren't inclined to bake your own.
Those mixes are far too sweet for my taste. Maybe that's at the crux of it.
Some people like it sweet; others not sweet. Some swear by white cornmeal;
I prefer yellow. Some like corn kernels in cornbread; others like jalapeno
peppers. Too many variations?

Jill's Cornbread

1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 c. white flour
up to 1/4 c. sugar (I use about 1 Tablespoon)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter, shortening/lard or bacon grease
1 c. buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir in the butter (softened),
shortening/lard or bacon grease. Add the buttermilk and egg and stir well.
Mixture will appear a little lumpy. Pour into a lightly greased pan (I use
an 8" cast iron skillet or my sectioned cast iron cornbread pan). Bake at
425F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Jill
--
I used to have a handle on life...but it broke off.

[-L.]

jmcquown wrote:
> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy baguettes,
> herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell
> cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern U.S.)?
> Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.

I think it's a spoilage issue. Most cornbreads, IME, mold fairly
quickly.

>
> Of course, you can purchase mixes if you aren't inclined to bake your own.
> Those mixes are far too sweet for my taste.

Jiffy mix actually is pretty good if you're in a pinch. I add a little
sugar to it though. ;)

> Maybe that's at the crux of it.
> Some people like it sweet; others not sweet. Some swear by white cornmeal;
> I prefer yellow. Some like corn kernels in cornbread; others like jalapeno
> peppers. Too many variations?
>
> Jill's Cornbread
>
> 1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
> 1 c. white flour
> up to 1/4 c. sugar (I use about 1 Tablespoon)
> 4 tsp. baking powder
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1/4 c. butter, shortening/lard or bacon grease
> 1 c. buttermilk
> 1 large egg, lightly beaten
>
> Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir in the butter (softened),
> shortening/lard or bacon grease. Add the buttermilk and egg and stir well.
> Mixture will appear a little lumpy. Pour into a lightly greased pan (I use
> an 8" cast iron skillet or my sectioned cast iron cornbread pan). Bake at
> 425F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
>
> Jill

Thanks for the rec.

-L.

[jmcquown]

[jmcquown]

-L. wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy
>> baguettes, herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does
>> no one sell cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in
>> the southern U.S.)? Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and
>> sell.
>
> I think it's a spoilage issue. Most cornbreads, IME, mold fairly
> quickly.
>

I nearly mentioned that. However, if you refrigerate cornbread it can last
a week without starting to mold. Or do as I do and dry it into crumbs for
stuffing :)

>> Of course, you can purchase mixes if you aren't inclined to bake
>> your own. Those mixes are far too sweet for my taste.
>
> Jiffy mix actually is pretty good if you're in a pinch. I add a
> little sugar to it though. ;)
>

Yikes! You add *sugar* to Jiffy mix? LOL

> Thanks for the rec.
>
> -L.

You're welcome! If it doesn't rain I might be baking cornbread on my grill
this afternoon. My yellow squash casserole in greatly enhanced by the use
of cornbread crumbs. However, I'm toying with the idea of using the
sourdough 'innards' from the last time I prepared bread bowls for my
potato-leek soup. I froze the bread I'd scooped from the center of the
rounds. I believe I could butter it, toast it, crumble it and use that in
place of the cornbread. Time (and the weather - it seems to like to rain
when I'm ready to grill) will tell.

Jill

[Penny Lane]

"jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:BSBPe.3890$N1....@bignews4.bellsouth.net...

> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy baguettes,
> herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell
> cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern U.S.)?
> Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.
>

J,

In Florida at least Publix sells cornbread as well as Sweetbay. It's pretty
good. Penny

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 26 Aug 2005 03:10:17a, jmcquown wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy
> baguettes, herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no
> one sell cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the
> southern U.S.)? Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.

Could it be that the best Southern cornbread is served steaming hot from
the oven with a crispy crust, both of which would be lacking in anything
purchased? Having said that, I do sometimes see cornbread muffings and,
less frequently, small loaves for sale in bakeries. I've never bought
them.

The only two ways I like cornbread that isn't straight out of the oven is
to split the wedges, butter, then put under the broiler until beginning to
crisp. Or, broken in small pieces and eaten with buttermilk.

> Of course, you can purchase mixes if you aren't inclined to bake your
> own. Those mixes are far too sweet for my taste. Maybe that's at the
> crux of it. Some people like it sweet; others not sweet. Some swear by
> white cornmeal; I prefer yellow. Some like corn kernels in cornbread;
> others like jalapeno peppers. Too many variations?

I don't like any of the mixes because for me they are too sweet and the
cornmeal is ground much too fine. I also prefer cornbread made without
flour, and don't particularly care for other additions. If I don't have
stoneground white cornmeal, I won't make it. :-)

> Jill's Cornbread
>
> 1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
> 1 c. white flour
> up to 1/4 c. sugar (I use about 1 Tablespoon)
> 4 tsp. baking powder
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1/4 c. butter, shortening/lard or bacon grease
> 1 c. buttermilk
> 1 large egg, lightly beaten
>
> Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir in the butter
> (softened), shortening/lard or bacon grease. Add the buttermilk and egg
> and stir well. Mixture will appear a little lumpy. Pour into a lightly
> greased pan (I use an 8" cast iron skillet or my sectioned cast iron
> cornbread pan). Bake at 425F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
>
> Jill

As Jill said, there are many preferences for, and variations of cornbread
recipes. Here's the one I use.

Wayne's Grandmother's Cornbread

2 cups stoneground white cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup melted shortening, lard, or bacon grease
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425° F. Generously grease a 9" iron skillet and place in
oven to heat while preparing batter. Combine dry ingredients in medium
mixing bowl. Stir in melted fat, followed by the buttermilk and egg. Stir
well. Batter should be very thick, but pourable. Adjust liquid
accordingly. When skillet is just beginning to smoke, pour batter into pan
and bake until top is firm and golden, about 30-35 minutes. Using a plate,
flip bread out and turn back into skillet upside down. Return to oven for
5 minutes. Turn out onto plate, cut in wedges, and serve immediately.

Notes: Stoneground meal varies in its capacity to absorb liquid. If you
think the finished cornbread is too dry, add the larger amount of fat, not
more liquid.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

[AlleyGator]

"jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy baguettes,
>herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell
>cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern U.S.)?
>Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.
>
>Of course, you can purchase mixes if you aren't inclined to bake your own.
>Those mixes are far too sweet for my taste. Maybe that's at the crux of it.
>Some people like it sweet; others not sweet. Some swear by white cornmeal;
>I prefer yellow. Some like corn kernels in cornbread; others like jalapeno
>peppers. Too many variations?
>
>Jill's Cornbread
>
>1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
>1 c. white flour
>up to 1/4 c. sugar (I use about 1 Tablespoon)
>4 tsp. baking powder
>1/2 tsp. salt
>1/4 c. butter, shortening/lard or bacon grease
>1 c. buttermilk
>1 large egg, lightly beaten

I like the looks of your recipe, and may give it a try - cornbread is
one of my favorite things. Since I live in the southern portion of
Illinois I'm torn between the sugar - no sugar thing. So basically if
the recipe asks for sugar I halve the amount. Like a comedian once
said, talking about Southern food: "don't put the sugar in the
cornbread - put it in the tea where it belongs. You take a bite of
cornbread it's supposed to suck 90 percent of the moisture right out
of your body". I love leftover cornbread forbreakfast, with mil,
sugar and cinnamon. Good stuff. The mother-in-law uses white
cornmeal and fills it with crunchy pieces of fried fatback - sorry,
can't get used to that.

--
The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret.
At least now I have an excuse.

[Bob (this one)]

-L. wrote:

> Jiffy mix actually is pretty good if you're in a pinch. I add a little
> sugar to it though. ;)

Try something. Combine a Jiffy corn bread mix with Jiffy yellow cake
mix. Add all the fixings called for to the bowl. Bake at 375°F until a
tester comes out clean.

It's certainly not corn bread; more like a corn cake, and people who
don't like sweet corn bread like it because it's so different. Warm,
with butter melting into it is lovely. Plain ain't bad, either. Nutella
doesn't hurt it. Spoon some sliced, sugared strawberries over top;
vanilla ice cream if it's still warm.

Pastorio

[Gregory Morrow]

-L. wrote:

> jmcquown wrote:
> > With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy
baguettes,
> > herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell
> > cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern
U.S.)?
> > Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.
>
> I think it's a spoilage issue. Most cornbreads, IME, mold fairly
> quickly.

Yup, I've never seen cornbread sold in any stores, North or South. Also
even if the spoilage issue could be reasonably resolved cornbread dries out
so quickly that the shelf life would probably be limited to hours, not
days...

Besides which, it's easy enough to make, either using a mix or Jill's
recipe. I've even taken to making mine (Jiffy mix) in the microwave as of
late, it turns out okay...the microwave recipe is in fact included in
Jiffy's recipe book.

--
Best
Greg

[tsr3]

Looks good--especially the bacon grease! Most of the time I use
cornbread recipes that just call for the cornmeal--no white flour.

[jmcquown]

tsr3 wrote:
> Looks good--especially the bacon grease! Most of the time I use
> cornbread recipes that just call for the cornmeal--no white flour.

Here's a photo of the cornbread (baked in my sectioned cast iron pan):

http://community.webshots.com/photo/74365720/74365823TtOJGp

Jill

[Bob]

[tsr3]

Oh Wow!--now that's some really nice looking cornbread....:) becky

[Bob]

[Sorry for the previous message; I meant to hit "Save" but hit "Send"
instead.]

Wayne wrote:

I make a breakfast concoction by splitting a leftover wedge of cornbread,
and putting the two halves together to make a cornbread rectangle. On top
of the cornbread, I put chipotle-and-garlic flavored turkey sausage patties.
A couple poached eggs go on top of the sausage, then I cover the whole thing
with a habañero Mornay sauce.

I also like leftover cornbread with chili and/or barbecue.

Bob

[Lisa Smith]

"Bob (this one)" <B...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:11gu37l...@corp.supernews.com...

Ooo I'm gettin all kinds of yummy ideas from RFC today. I have to say I'm of
those who likes a sweeter cornbread, with melted butter brushed over the top
right outta the oven..................

Lisa aka Pagemaster

[Dee Randall]

"jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message

news:9wGPe.4443$2_....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...

Jill, them thar beans look darned gooouuud, too!
I love webshots. I download lots of the community food shots. How pleasant
when they come up.

I only have one on Webshots, and I don't know why or how I ever put it on
there; probably just seeing if I could, but it's just a shot of me coming
out of a Charleston, SC restaurant after a hearty meal some years back.

I ran thru your slide show. Thanks - I enjoyed it so much.
Dee Dee

>

[jmcquown]

tsr3 wrote:
> Oh Wow!--now that's some really nice looking cornbread....:) becky

Thankee, ma'am :) It's not a dense as some cornbreads (the ones without
flour) but also not sweet like cake. I love it. I've even baked it on a
grill over lump charcoal during a week-long power outage. I cooked bacon on
a cast iron griddle first then reserved the drippings for cornbread.
Delicious!

Jill

[jmcquown]

Dee Randall wrote:
> "jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> news:9wGPe.4443$2_....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>> tsr3 wrote:
>>> Looks good--especially the bacon grease! Most of the time I use
>>> cornbread recipes that just call for the cornmeal--no white flour.
>>
>> Here's a photo of the cornbread (baked in my sectioned cast iron
>> pan):
>>
>> http://community.webshots.com/photo/74365720/74365823TtOJGp
>>
>> Jill
>
> Jill, them thar beans look darned gooouuud, too!
> I love webshots. I download lots of the community food shots. How
> pleasant when they come up.
>

Thanks! That's from my dad's recipe for Navy Bean soup. The soup was (as
always) great and I might have even used dried Great Northern beans rather
than Navy beans. The cornbread was as an accompaniment and the champagne -
Korbel Brut extra dry - was nice and bubbly ;)

> I only have one on Webshots, and I don't know why or how I ever put
> it on there; probably just seeing if I could, but it's just a shot of
> me coming out of a Charleston, SC restaurant after a hearty meal some
> years back.
>
> I ran thru your slide show. Thanks - I enjoyed it so much.
> Dee Dee

Thanks again! When I get my new digital camera (next week!) I'll go back to
taking some food pics and pics of my cat, lovebird and other stuff.

Jill

[jmcquown]

AlleyGator wrote:
> "jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy
>> baguettes, herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does
>> no one sell cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in
>> the southern U.S.)? Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and
>> sell.
>>
>>

> I like the looks of your recipe, and may give it a try - cornbread is
> one of my favorite things. Since I live in the southern portion of
> Illinois I'm torn between the sugar - no sugar thing.
>

Lots of people are torn... I leave room for some sugar allowance. And the
creamed corn (shudder) allowance and the sliced jalapeno allowance.

> the recipe asks for sugar I halve the amount. Like a comedian once
> said, talking about Southern food: "don't put the sugar in the
> cornbread - put it in the tea where it belongs. You take a bite of
> cornbread it's supposed to suck 90 percent of the moisture right out
> of your body".

LOL I hate iced tea! Sorry, never could stand the stuff. But I sometimes
drink hot tea with a little honey and a splash of milk.

I love leftover cornbread forbreakfast, with milk,

> sugar and cinnamon. Good stuff. The mother-in-law uses white
> cornmeal and fills it with crunchy pieces of fried fatback - sorry,
> can't get used to that.

I doubt I could get used to that either. Now give me a biscuit with bacon
and egg... there's something to ponder :)

Jill

[Wayne Boatwright]

That sounds really good, but I don't do turkey-anything. I'd use regular
sausage.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

[Seamus]

>why does no one sell cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks

Find cornbread all over the place here, west of Philly. The local Fresh
Fields can be counted on to have a tray of samples in the bakery dept.

[jmcquown]

Huh... that's interesting :) I've been in the southern U.S. for 30+ years
and have never seen it except in home cooking diners.

Jill

[Seamus]

IIRC, the Food Lion in Waynesboro, VA also carried cornbread.

[barry...@yahoo.com]

Gregory Morrow wrote:
> Yup, I've never seen cornbread sold in any stores, North or South. Also
> even if the spoilage issue could be reasonably resolved cornbread dries out
> so quickly that the shelf life would probably be limited to hours, not
> days...

In my experience, which is pretty much limited to Chicago, baking soda
raised breads are rarely sold in stores, except perhaps sweet ones.
Corn muffins are an exception. Or are they typically sweet? (I've never
had one.)

-bwg

[jmcquown]

Seamus wrote:
> IIRC, the Food Lion in Waynesboro, VA also carried cornbread.

Virginia (while I did live there twice) is not exactly southern USian in my
experience, food-wise. (Boli would beg to differ!) I think my mom bought a
cornbread mix when we lived there. It tasted so sweet to me and came with a
little tin baking sheet.

I've never seen a 'Food Lion' unless you wish to discuss someone who scarfs
down food at the rate of a lion! LOL

Jill

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 26 Aug 2005 10:52:29a, barry...@yahoo.com wrote in
rec.food.cooking:

In the North they are apt to be sweeter than in the South. So, too, for
regular pan cornbread.

[Jeff Bienstadt]

AlleyGator wrote:

[snippage]

> I love leftover cornbread forbreakfast, with mil,
> sugar and cinnamon. Good stuff.
>

Tom Douglas, a chef here in Seattle, does a very good cornbread pudding:
http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/tdouglasrec.html

---jkb

--
Lisa: "Do we have any food that wasn't brutally slaughtered?"
Homer: "Well, I think the veal died of loneliness."

[Gerlonda Battles]

Another "not cornbread" doctoring up for Jiffy Cornbread mix is to add a
few more tablespoons of flour, a little cooking oil or melted butter (if
you dare) and a drained small can of crushed pineapple, in juice not
heavy syrup. Tried both muffins and in square pan. Really good.

[Roberta]

My Granddad used to take left over corn bread, break it up in a bowl and
pour warm milk and sugar over it. I never liked the sound of it but he
ate that alot.

Roberta (in VA)

[MareCat]

"jmcquown" <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message

news:BSBPe.3890$N1....@bignews4.bellsouth.net...

> With all the specialty breads - sourdough, freshly baked fancy
> baguettes,

> herbed bread rounds, etc. at the grocery stores why does no one sell

> cornbread loaves, cornmuffins, cornsticks (at least in the southern
> U.S.)?
> Seems like they would be inexpensive to bake and sell.

Jill, I've seen cornbread in Kroger stores in the Houston area. (I
sometimes pick up a couple trays of it just before Thanksgiving to use
in my sausage cornbread stuffing.)

Mary

[Doug Weller]

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 13:01:45 -0500, in rec.food.cooking, jmcquown wrote:

>Seamus wrote:
>> IIRC, the Food Lion in Waynesboro, VA also carried cornbread.
>
>Virginia (while I did live there twice) is not exactly southern USian in my
>experience, food-wise. (Boli would beg to differ!) I think my mom bought a
>cornbread mix when we lived there. It tasted so sweet to me and came with a
>little tin baking sheet.

I've bought it in Burnsville, N.C., can't remember which supermarket.

Doug
--
Doug Weller -- exorcise the demon to reply
Doug & Helen's Dogs http://www.dougandhelen.com
A Director and Moderator of The Hall of Ma'at http://www.hallofmaat.com
Doug's Archaeology Site: http://www.ramtops.co.uk

[notbob]

On 2005-08-26, jmcquown <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Here's a photo of the cornbread (baked in my sectioned cast iron pan):
>
> http://community.webshots.com/photo/74365720/74365823TtOJGp

Thanks a heap, Jill!

I wasn't going to do any shopping till Monday and now I gotta go down and
get some hocks and buttermilk. harumphh.... ;)

nb

[jmcquown]

My pleasure, sweetie ;)

[Wayne Boatwright]

Sounds like a good thing to me!

[itsjoannotjoann]

jmcquown wrote:
> Some swear by white cornmeal;
> I prefer yellow.
>
>
> Jill's Cornbread
>
> 1 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
> 1 c. white flour
> up to 1/4 c. sugar (I use about 1 Tablespoon)
> 4 tsp. baking powder
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1/4 c. butter, shortening/lard or bacon grease
> 1 c. buttermilk
> 1 large egg, lightly beaten
>

>
> Jill
> --
>
I prefer yellow cornmeal, too, and self-rising stoneground, please,
with bacon grease. I also like to use about a tablespoon of sugar as
it just does something for the cornbread. Sorta like what vanilla
extract does for cakes.

When it comes out of the oven slap copious amounts of butter on that
wedge and get outta my way!!

[Bob (this one)]

jmcquown wrote:
> Seamus wrote:
>
>>IIRC, the Food Lion in Waynesboro, VA also carried cornbread.

Yep. And Staunton, Verona and points north and south.

> Virginia (while I did live there twice) is not exactly southern USian in my
> experience, food-wise. (Boli would beg to differ!)

So would Pastorio who lives in the Shenandoah Valley. Look at the
traditional menus around here and see southern cooking at its finest.

> I think my mom bought a
> cornbread mix when we lived there. It tasted so sweet to me and came with a
> little tin baking sheet.

Northern Virginia isn't the south. It's basically D.C. And the coast
where all the big ships full of sailors isn't the south, either.

Faulkner said you can't get further south than Charlottesville. He lived
there the last years of his life.

> I've never seen a 'Food Lion' unless you wish to discuss someone who scarfs
> down food at the rate of a lion! LOL

Large and growing chain of supermarkets headquartered in Salisbury, N.C.

Pastorio

[Dee Randall]

"Bob (this one)" <B...@nospam.com> wrote in message

news:11gvm68...@corp.supernews.com...

When I moved to the Shenandoah Valley, VA 13 years ago, while getting
settled, I stopped a woman in Strasburg, VA and asked her if she knew of a
grocery store that I was looking for, called the 'Family Lion.' I oft look
back on that day and think of her kindness when she said that there was a
Food Lion, if that might be what I was looking for, and gave me directions.
There was not a 'snort' from her or her young daughter for me calling it the
'Family Lion' and I look fondly on it as country folk who had good Southern
manners. I wonder if they thought it as funny as I do, having called it the
Family Lion many times since, making fun of myself.

Northern Virginia folk are moving further west and it probably won't be too
many years that they'll be all the way to Hwy 81 and the WV border. In
Winchester, there are many people who have settled in coming from NE U.S.
Times are a changing.

I can't remember Faulkner's reasoning for saying that about Charlottesville,
but I find truth in it.
Dee Dee

Dee Dee

[jmcquown]

Bob (this one) wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> Seamus wrote:
>>
>>> IIRC, the Food Lion in Waynesboro, VA also carried cornbread.
>
> Yep. And Staunton, Verona and points north and south.
>
>> Virginia (while I did live there twice) is not exactly southern
>> USian in my experience, food-wise. (Boli would beg to differ!)
>
> So would Pastorio who lives in the Shenandoah Valley. Look at the
> traditional menus around here and see southern cooking at its finest.
>

Oh Shendandoah, I long to hear you,
Away, you rolling river!
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Away, I'm bound away
'cross the wide Missouri.

Did I mention I lived in Virginia (twice)? Still no good cornbread there
from my recollections, so sorry.

Jill

[Bob (this one)]

jmcquown wrote:

> Did I mention I lived in Virginia (twice)? Still no good cornbread there
> from my recollections, so sorry.

What parts of Virginia did you live in? It matters.

Pastorio

[Margaret Suran]

jmcquown wrote:
> tsr3 wrote:
>
>>Looks good--especially the bacon grease! Most of the time I use
>>cornbread recipes that just call for the cornmeal--no white flour.
>
>

> Here's a photo of the cornbread (baked in my sectioned cast iron pan):
>
> http://community.webshots.com/photo/74365720/74365823TtOJGp
>

> Jill
>
>
Jill, every time you post about corn bread, I visualize a tiny ladybug
walking on it, while it is cooling. :o)

The picture you posted looks simply yummy. Thank you. MS

[jmcquown]

That is funny! I took that picture on another computer and didn't save it!
It was too cute (the ladybug walking on my cornbread). Then of course, you
sent me email with a ladybug crawling all over the page. I giggled and
giggled. You are so much fun, sweet lady! Enjoying the chocolate?

Jill

[Phyllis Stone]

"Margaret Suran" <marg...@no.spam.for.me.invalid> wrote in message
news:depo4...@news2.newsguy.com...

>>
>>
> Jill, every time you post about corn bread, I visualize a tiny ladybug
> walking on it, while it is cooling. :o)
>
> The picture you posted looks simply yummy. Thank you. MS

This is a little off the cornbread topic but has anyone ever eaten salt
rising bread? Years ago there was a home delivery bakery,Manor, and they had
salt rising bread. Maybe it isn't as good as I remember but I would like to
find out. There are recipes and I tried some and just made a mess. They
involved soaking a potato in a warm place. It didn't work for me. Has anyone
made this type of bread or better yet know where I could order some.

[jmcquown]

Woodbridge (dad was stationed at Quantico) when I was age 2-4 and I
remember, very well when JFK was shot and my mom was crying and we watched
it on television.

Some years later, Annandale, VA...on two different streets. I liked
Virginia. It was the later years when she bought the cornbread mix to cook
up in a little tin. Cornbread wasn't something she was familiar with as a
child in Ohio.

Jill

[Wayne Boatwright]

I've eaten it many times, as my great-grandmother used to make it often.
Sadly, no one ever learned her recipe.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

[Margaret Suran]

Phyllis Stone wrote:
>
>
> This is a little off the cornbread topic but has anyone ever eaten salt
> rising bread? Years ago there was a home delivery bakery,Manor, and they had
> salt rising bread. Maybe it isn't as good as I remember but I would like to
> find out. There are recipes and I tried some and just made a mess. They
> involved soaking a potato in a warm place. It didn't work for me. Has anyone
> made this type of bread or better yet know where I could order some.
>
>

Take a look at Google's pages about Salt Rising Bread. Perhaps you
will find something there.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=salt+rising+bread&btnG=Google+Search

[sf]

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:12:09 GMT, Phyllis Stone wrote:

>
> "Margaret Suran" <marg...@no.spam.for.me.invalid> wrote in message
> news:depo4...@news2.newsguy.com...
> >>
> >>
> > Jill, every time you post about corn bread, I visualize a tiny ladybug
> > walking on it, while it is cooling. :o)
> >
> > The picture you posted looks simply yummy. Thank you. MS
>
>
>
>
> This is a little off the cornbread topic but has anyone ever eaten salt
> rising bread?

YES! It's deevine. This is one bread that was always better toasted
and slathered with butter.

> Years ago there was a home delivery bakery,Manor, and they had
> salt rising bread. Maybe it isn't as good as I remember but I would like to
> find out. There are recipes and I tried some and just made a mess. They
> involved soaking a potato in a warm place. It didn't work for me. Has anyone
> made this type of bread or better yet know where I could order some.
>

I've never even attempted to make it because the good stuff is so
labor intensive. We used to have a bakery that made it and sold it on
Fridays. The process took them days. If you wanted to be assured of
a loaf, you had to reserve one... that's how popular it was. There is
a big difference between commercial salt-rising bread and one that's
done by hand using the process of fermenting potatoes.

[Bob]

Jill wrote:

> Oh Shendandoah, I long to hear you,
> Away, you rolling river!
> Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you
> Away, I'm bound away
> 'cross the wide Missouri.
>
> Did I mention I lived in Virginia (twice)? Still no good cornbread there
> from my recollections, so sorry.

One of my coworkers is retiring, and I have the opportunity to relocate to
Newport News. But I'm pretty happy where I am.

Bob

[Gregory Morrow]

jmcquown wrote:

> Oh Shendandoah, I long to hear you,
> Away, you rolling river!
> Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you
> Away, I'm bound away
> 'cross the wide Missouri.

The BEST recording of that song EVER is Jo Stafford's on her "American
Folk Songs" CD, it is so beautiful you'll cry when you hear it.

--
Best
Greg

[TammyM]

Jill, are you a member of the 1960's International Girls' Consortium?
That is, were you born in 1960 like Pandora, Nathalie Chiva & me? I
too have vivid memories of my babysitter, Callie, weeping on her knees
in front our our blonde B&W tv when JFK was shot. I was 3, almost 4.

Just wondering....

Ob Food:

Tyler Florence's Watermelon Gazpacho

6 large tomatoes, chopped
8 onces fresh watermelon, seeded and cubed
1 serrano chili (*or more if you dare!)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (*Sherry vinegar)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (*Spanish, of course!)
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 cucumber, seeded and minced plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced, plus more for garnish
(*I used Italian parsley which I prefer to dill)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Puree tomatoes, watermelon, and chili in blender
Add vinegar & olive oil; pulse.
Fold in onion, cucumber and dill (*parsley).
Sprinkle on salt & pepper to taste.
Pour into shot glasses (or small bowls) (*or margarita glasses)
and garnish with extra dill (*parsley) & feta.
Serve at room termperature.

[Dee Randall]

"Gregory Morrow" <gregor...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:1125169095....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Greg, I cry EVERYtime I hear it. I live about a mile from the river (if
that) and we see it many times whenever we are driving. I'm very nostalgic
about it, too.
Too bad there's not a nostalgic song about the Potomac -- it has some
stories to tell, too.
Dee Dee
Shenandoah Valley

[Bob (this one)]

Dee Randall wrote:
> "Gregory Morrow" <gregor...@earthlink.net> wrote

>
>>jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>>Oh Shendandoah, I long to hear you,
>>>Away, you rolling river!
>>>Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you
>>>Away, I'm bound away
>>>'cross the wide Missouri.
>>
>>The BEST recording of that song EVER is Jo Stafford's on her "American
>>Folk Songs" CD, it is so beautiful you'll cry when you hear it.
>

> Greg, I cry EVERYtime I hear it. I live about a mile from the river (if
> that) and we see it many times whenever we are driving. I'm very nostalgic
> about it, too.

I learned the song - me and my guitar in New York City - back in the
great Folk Music Catastrophe of the late 50's before I ever set foot in
Virginia. I now literally live on a stony crest above the river looking
down maybe 50 feet to the water. I can see it from my back deck when I
water my bonsai.

We see big birds fishing in the water and Canadian Geese use a widening
area here as a rest stop. The cattle from this farm wade in it, and in
the evenings, we hear mate-seeking frogs like so many amphibians at a
singles bar. Now and again, small flocks of birds will soar and wheel in
the sky over the river and noisily descend to splash and cavort in the
small eddies at the edges.

When the Statler Brothers (local boys) used to do their freebie 4th of
July Concert here in a big park, that was one of the songs that would
absolutely silence the crowd. People would start singing with them and
by the time the song was done, the locals would be in tears. The
out-of-towners come for the occasion seemed to respect it and behaved.
They stopped doing those concerts a few years ago when the crowds began
to exceed 100,000 in a town normally of only 18,000. Shame, actually.
See the guys around the area now and again.

Pastorio

[Dee Randall]

"Bob (this one)" <B...@nospam.com> wrote in message

news:11h1tah...@corp.supernews.com...

Dear Pastoral Pastorio,
You are one lucky guy to have such a residence. What a joy for you. Thanks
for describing all that goes on beside your part of the river. Virginia
rivers have such a wonderful past and a beautiful present.
Just an aside re nostalgic songs, at a gathering of Old Time Fiddler music a
few weeks back, they ended with Amazing Grace. I left after the first two
lines. It is just one of those songs (worse than Shenandoah) that I truly
break down.
Dee Dee

[jmcquown]

TammyM wrote:
> On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 09:16:11 -0500, "jmcquown"
> <jmcq...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>> Bob (this one) wrote:
>>> jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> Did I mention I lived in Virginia (twice)? Still no good cornbread
>>>> there from my recollections, so sorry.
>>>
>>> What parts of Virginia did you live in? It matters.
>>>
>>> Pastorio
>>
>> Woodbridge (dad was stationed at Quantico) when I was age 2-4 and I
>> remember, very well when JFK was shot and my mom was crying and we
>> watched it on television.
>>
>> Some years later, Annandale, VA...on two different streets. I liked
>> Virginia. It was the later years when she bought the cornbread mix
>> to cook up in a little tin. Cornbread wasn't something she was
>> familiar with as a child in Ohio.
>>
>> Jill
>
> Jill, are you a member of the 1960's International Girls' Consortium?
> That is, were you born in 1960 like Pandora, Nathalie Chiva & me? I
> too have vivid memories of my babysitter, Callie, weeping on her knees
> in front our our blonde B&W tv when JFK was shot. I was 3, almost 4.
>
> Just wondering....
>

Yup, I'm a member :)

Jill

[Stark]

In article <Zw_Pe.2887$rS4....@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net>, Phyllis

Stone <nob...@msn.com> wrote:

> This is a little off the cornbread topic but has anyone ever eaten salt
> rising bread?

Ab fab! And a mess to make, which I've tried and tried. There's a
store here that sells it on Tuesday. It's salt rising bread, but not
as piquant as I remember it from years ago. I suspect my memory is
playing tricks. But it is true that then the loaf cost about 50 cents.

[Faux_Pseudo]

_.-In rec.food.cooking, Bob wrote the following -._

Bob, come on down, enjoy the sea food. Take weekend trips to NYC for
the food there. Newport News is all of 30 miles from here and it
would do me good to see a familiar face in the area.

But don't count on finding any good corn bread. All of the corn bread
I have found here is eather from a blue box (The Good Stuff) or is
crap. I was hoping to find some places down here with sweet cornbread
or with pig fat cooked in but so far nothing has been found.

--
.-')) fauxascii.com ('-. | It's a damn poor mind that
' ..- .:" ) ( ":. -.. ' | can only think of one way to
((,,_;'.;' UIN=66618055 ';. ';_,,)) | spell a word.
((_.YIM=Faux_Pseudo :._)) | - Andrew Jackson

[Bob]

Faux_Pseudo wrote:

>> One of my coworkers is retiring, and I have the opportunity to relocate
>> to Newport News. But I'm pretty happy where I am.
>
> Bob, come on down, enjoy the sea food. Take weekend trips to NYC for
> the food there. Newport News is all of 30 miles from here and it
> would do me good to see a familiar face in the area.
>
> But don't count on finding any good corn bread. All of the corn bread
> I have found here is eather from a blue box (The Good Stuff) or is
> crap. I was hoping to find some places down here with sweet cornbread
> or with pig fat cooked in but so far nothing has been found.

You make a compelling argument; I keep forgetting that you live in Norfolk
now. (In my head, you and Mari still live in San Diego. It's been what, two
years? Sometimes I'm slow to learn!) But making cornbread is EASY; I fry up
a couple pieces of bacon in a cast-iron skillet and then pour the cornbread
batter over the drippings before baking. If I'm after sweet cornbread, I
make cornmeal muffins, adding some extra sugar and some diced apples to the
batter. The cornbread recipe I follow is the one on the side of the Albers
cornmeal box. It's what I think of as "basic" cornbread. I've *tried* other
recipes, and found some of them to be ghastly. Below is one such recipe, and
I've included the prefacing text because I think it's priceless:

California Cornbread (from _Chopstix_, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison)

"On our first trip outside of California, we were shocked to discover that
what most Americans call cornbread has no garlic, no beautiful flecks of
tangerine peel, no crunchy sweet kernels of corn, no green specks of
cilantro, and no currants! What has happened to good cooking? What an
outrage that a great recipe has been so simplified it is currently only fit
for St. John's Hospital or the Beverly Manor Convalescent Home. Here in
California, the original cornbread, nurtured by generations of our cooks,
warms our tummies. Serve California Cornbread with plenty of honey butter
and accompany it with barbecued meat or a dish with lots of sauce."

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup dried currants
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon grated or finely minced tangerine peel
Corn kernels from 1 ear of corn
1/4 cup minced cilantro (fresh coriander)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large mixing bowl, place the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, butter, and honey. Mix
well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Then stir into the
cornmeal mixture. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, leaving
plenty of lumps.

Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, then pour in the batter. Bake for about 50
minutes. The cornbread is done when a knife pushed deep into the center
comes out clean.

Cut into slices and serve with butter and honey.

Serves 6 as the side dish to any meat or seafood entrée.

[BOB'S NOTE: Mister Carpenter most decidedly does NOT speak for all
Californians in the notes to this recipe!]

Bob

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sun 28 Aug 2005 10:30:02a, Bob wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> You make a compelling argument; I keep forgetting that you live in
> Norfolk now. (In my head, you and Mari still live in San Diego. It's
> been what, two years? Sometimes I'm slow to learn!) But making
> cornbread is EASY; I fry up a couple pieces of bacon in a cast-iron
> skillet and then pour the cornbread batter over the drippings before
> baking. If I'm after sweet cornbread, I make cornmeal muffins, adding
> some extra sugar and some diced apples to the batter. The cornbread
> recipe I follow is the one on the side of the Albers cornmeal box. It's
> what I think of as "basic" cornbread. I've *tried* other recipes, and
> found some of them to be ghastly. Below is one such recipe, and I've
> included the prefacing text because I think it's priceless:
>
> California Cornbread (from _Chopstix_, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri
> Sandison)

<disgusting example omitted>

Good God, what a horrifying misinterpretation of cornbread! :-) I doubt
that most Californians would eat it either.

[Bob]

Wayne wrote:

> Good God, what a horrifying misinterpretation of cornbread! :-) I doubt
> that most Californians would eat it either.

In all fairness, cornbread with garlic, cilantro, tangerine peel, and
currants might not be all that disgusting if you used it as a base for
stuffing. In fact, it might be pretty good that way. But yeah, as an
unadorned accompaniment to barbecue, it's pretty nasty. I thought it a bit
surreal that this was put forth as NORMAL, ORIGINAL cornbread, and that
cornbread without those bells and whistles had been SIMPLIFIED.

Bob

[Wayne Boatwright]

You have a point. It might make a very good base for a stuffing, but I
could never in good conscience call it cornbread. :-)

For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal, salt,
soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It might be too
severe for some folks, though. :-)

[Mr Libido Incognito]

Wayne Boatwright wrote on 28 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> You have a point. It might make a very good base for a stuffing,
> but I could never in good conscience call it cornbread. :-)
>
> For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal,
> salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It
> might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)
>
>

I put green chiles and creamed corn in my cornbread.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sun 28 Aug 2005 12:27:21p, Mr Libido Incognito wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Wayne Boatwright wrote on 28 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking
>
>> You have a point. It might make a very good base for a stuffing, but
>> I could never in good conscience call it cornbread. :-)
>>
>> For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal,
>> salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It
>> might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)
>>
>
> I put green chiles and creamed corn in my cornbread.
>

That I could handle. Makes kind of a custard-style cornbread, nice and
moist. I also love green chiles. Do you use fresh or canned chiles?

[S'mee [AKA Jani]]

One time on Usenet, Mr Libido Incognito <N...@vaild.null> said:
> Wayne Boatwright wrote on 28 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> > For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal,

> > salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It
> > might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)

I confess, I use Jiffy Cornbread Mix -- you just add egg and milk. It's
pretty simple, similar (I think) to what you're describing.

> I put green chiles and creamed corn in my cornbread.

Oooh, that sounds good. Either of you want to post a recipe?

--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, VidGamer, novice cook, dieter ~

[itsjoannotjoann]

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> >
> > California Cornbread (from _Chopstix_, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri
> > Sandison)
>
> <disgusting example omitted>
>
> Good God, what a horrifying misinterpretation of cornbread! :-) I doubt
> that most Californians would eat it either.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*
>

Yes, that does sound disgusting, made my stomach lurch. Makes me
wonder what they had 'smoked' before they came up with that mess.

[J. Davidson]

If you add a package of jiffy yellow cake mix to the package of jiffy corn
bread mix, you come out with a wonderful corn bread similar to Marie
Callanders.
I just use one egg, and pour the batter into a hot pan with a bit of oil in
it.
Jackie
"S'mee [AKA Jani]" <jjswor...@BLOCKERzipcon.com> wrote in message
news:deteuu$a0mg...@news.zipcon.net...

[jmcquown]

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 28 Aug 2005 11:32:03a, Bob wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> Wayne wrote:
>>
>>> Good God, what a horrifying misinterpretation of cornbread! :-) I
>>> doubt that most Californians would eat it either.
>>
>> In all fairness, cornbread with garlic, cilantro, tangerine peel, and
>> currants might not be all that disgusting if you used it as a base
>> for stuffing. In fact, it might be pretty good that way. But yeah,
>> as an unadorned accompaniment to barbecue, it's pretty nasty. I
>> thought it a bit surreal that this was put forth as NORMAL, ORIGINAL
>> cornbread, and that cornbread without those bells and whistles had
>> been SIMPLIFIED.
>
> You have a point. It might make a very good base for a stuffing, but
> I could never in good conscience call it cornbread. :-)
>
> For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal,
> salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It
> might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)

Apparently Californians wouldn't know cornbread if it jumped up and bit them
on the arse :)

Jill <--born in SoCal

[jmcquown]

It sure wasn't ribs! :)

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sun 28 Aug 2005 03:47:57p, S'mee [AKA Jani] wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> One time on Usenet, Mr Libido Incognito <N...@vaild.null> said:
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote on 28 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking
>
>> > For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just cornmeal,
>> > salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or bacon fat. It
>> > might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)
>
> I confess, I use Jiffy Cornbread Mix -- you just add egg and milk. It's
> pretty simple, similar (I think) to what you're describing.

Well, I confess that I keep a couple of boxes in the pantry. That's the
only thing I use if I run out of cornmeal.

>> I put green chiles and creamed corn in my cornbread.
>
> Oooh, that sounds good. Either of you want to post a recipe?
>

I don't have a recipe, but the few times I've made it I add a small ( 8 oz.
?) can of cream style corn and a small can of chopped green chiles,
drained. I cut back on the buttermilk to adjust the consistency of the
batter. This would be for a recipe calling for 2 cups of dry ingredients.
It's pretty good.

I was wondering if anyone used fresh green chiles.

[Wayne Boatwright]

ROTFLMAO!!!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*

[Bob]

Jill wrote:

> Apparently Californians wouldn't know cornbread if it jumped up and bit
> them on the arse :)

If something jumps up and bites me on the arse, I'm going to assume it ISN'T
cornbread! :-)

Bob

[jmcquown]

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 28 Aug 2005 03:47:57p, S'mee [AKA Jani] wrote in
> rec.food.cooking:
>
>> One time on Usenet, Mr Libido Incognito <N...@vaild.null> said:
>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote on 28 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking
>>
>>>> For cripsake, I don't even put flour in my cornbread, just
>>>> cornmeal, salt, soda, buttermilk, egg, and some shortening or
>>>> bacon fat. It might be too severe for some folks, though. :-)
>>
>> I confess, I use Jiffy Cornbread Mix -- you just add egg and milk.
>> It's pretty simple, similar (I think) to what you're describing.
>
> Well, I confess that I keep a couple of boxes in the pantry. That's
> the only thing I use if I run out of cornmeal.
>
>>> I put green chiles and creamed corn in my cornbread.
>>
>> Oooh, that sounds good. Either of you want to post a recipe?
>>
>
> I don't have a recipe, but the few times I've made it I add a small (
> 8 oz. ?) can of cream style corn and a small can of chopped green
> chiles, drained. I cut back on the buttermilk to adjust the
> consistency of the batter. This would be for a recipe calling for 2
> cups of dry ingredients. It's pretty good.
>
> I was wondering if anyone used fresh green chiles.

I've used fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced. Only takes a couple :)

[Seamus]

>> What parts of Virginia did you live in? It matters.
>> Pastorio

>Woodbridge ...
>Some years later, Annandale, VA
That isn't VA that's DC.

[Dee Randall]

"Seamus" <zawa...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1125315194.9...@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Well, if I had my choice, I'd choose Annandale.
I would go to Annandale, but I don't bother with D.C. any more.
Dee Dee

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Mon 29 Aug 2005 02:57:38a, jmcquown wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>> I don't have a recipe, but the few times I've made it I add a small (
>> 8 oz. ?) can of cream style corn and a small can of chopped green
>> chiles, drained. I cut back on the buttermilk to adjust the
>> consistency of the batter. This would be for a recipe calling for 2
>> cups of dry ingredients. It's pretty good.
>>
>> I was wondering if anyone used fresh green chiles.
>
> I've used fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced. Only takes a couple :)

Thanks, Jill, I'll that a try. Lot's of times I'd like something with a
little more bite than a green chile.

[Becca]

Bob wrote:

> If something jumps up and bites me on the arse, I'm going to assume
> it ISN'T cornbread! :-)
>
> Bob

That would depend on if you were tied up or not. =@:o)

Becca

[Seamus]

>Well, if I had my choice, I'd choose Annandale.

California tumbles into the sea
That'll be the day I go back to Annandale ...

And I'm never going back to my old school