Mimi's Cornbread

Some days I feel a little homesick for my mom's cooking.  This is one of my all time favorites . . . Mimi's Cornbread.  My mom's mom, Mimi, was a little firecracker of a woman who knew her way around southern cooking.  If it could be put in a pot and boiled to death with a ham hock, then Mimi knew how to cook it.  If it required real culinary skill, she usually left it up to someone else.  My mom, Nana, learned all of the ins and outs of real skill in a kitchen and kept the Southern flavor alive.  Here's Nana's take on Mimi's cornbread:

Mimi's "Indian" Cornbread
Heat oven to 450°

• 1½ Cup Yellow Cornmeal
• ½ Cup Flour
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• ⅛ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1½ Teaspoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar

Mix dry ingredients together.  Then add:

• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 2 Beaten Eggs
• 3 Tablespoons Oil

Beat together with a fork until spongy.  Heavily grease a skillet or heavy pan.
Whip into batter:

• 1 8-oz. Can Creamed Corn
• 1 Cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Teaspoons Dehydrated Onion (or ¼ Cup Grated Fresh Onion)
• Add up to ¼ Cup Buttermilk (making sure the consistency stays moist but not runny)

Stir together thoroughly
Bake at 450° for 25 minutes.

This is not a sweet cornbread but a delicious savory treat best paired with chili or a hearty winter soup.  When I'm feeling a little blue, I make a little of both (though mine never turns out as well as Nana's.)

If you love it, pass it along and let me know!  Nana would love to hear that her gift just keeps on giving.