Corn Bread my Mom's way

Mom and Me In Tahoe a few years ago, 

with me in a rarely seen ponytail.

This recipe has been our family since I was a little girl.... We would have this almost daily through the winter because it goes with so many winter dishes so well.  We would definitely make it with our chili, or stew, or with a big ole pot of pinto beans and ham.

I remember my mom making this by huge batches to feed all the hungry muzzeloader Mountain men out at the range during our shoots on the weekends.  

One year we had a big shoot at the range and everyone brought ingredients to add to the big cast iron stew pot that my parents had, it is about 4 feet wide and holds who knows how many gallons... any way, everyone brought some meat, and a vegetable to add to the pot to make a big batch of "Stone Soup".  Well my brother had just heard the story in school about how one person fooled everyone into giving up their food to make him a pot of soup with his special rock that made special stone soup.

Well the soup was a huge success, but as the pot got down to the bottom of the pot, there were a bunch of huge rocks in the bottom.... My brother, and I had added stones to the big pot...  My mom wanted to kill us... everyone thought the soup was a success, and only my mom and us kids knew our mischievous act.

This was served along side the Stone soup....

It is a sweet corn bread with almost a cake like texture, but heaver than cake. For those who like non sweet corn bread, you will not like this recipe, but in our home, it is the only way to make it.   I also like to use Albers corn meal, but you can't get it here on the east side of the united states...

Me and my brother when we were little..

Johnny Cake Corn Bread

                                                        

1 C. Flour

1 C. Corn meal

½ C. Sugar

1 T. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl

1/3 C. Oil

1 Egg

1C. Milk

Mix wet ingredients, and add to dry....stir only to moistened. Do not stir too much or it will be tough.

Place in buttered/greased 8x8 glass pan.

Bake 400 degrees for 25 min.  Until nicely golden in color and toothpick comes out clean.

*I double this and put in 9x13, and bake a little longer.....

Additions:

I also sometimes add a dash of vanilla and some cranberries for muffins, or a cup of canned/frozen corn, or a can of creamed corn to the cornbread for a change.

A cup of cheddar cheese, and a can of diced green chilies are also a good addition.

My mom has been making this for years, and everyone loves it... Great with chili. Or stew,

You can  make into 12 muffins also.* add ½ T. more baking powder (single batch=12muffins)

Should look nice and toasty brown on the top when done... 

Rich, delicate and sweet... best kind of corn bread in my opinion.

~Brat~