Recipe: Cornbread

I really love sweet cornbread with spicy chili or pinto beans. I've also learned (to the detriment of my blood pressure & LDL count) that it is really good just warmed, buttered, and salted. It is also a key ingredient of my family's holiday stuffing/dressing.

For years I've used whatever recipe happens to be on the back of the current box of Quaker Corn Meal in my cabinet, but they've done something to the recipe in recent years and, for some reason, unless I divide the batter into two separate pans or use a 13x9" casserole dish, the middle doesn't bake all the way through.

In any case, what follows is what I'm using now; it's adapted from the back of the Quaker box I have in my pantry right now. If I ever figure out what the heck's going on with the middle coming out raw, I'll revise it. :-)

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal (I do prefer Quaker)
1 cup sugar (note: original recipe says 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten (I always just use the one whole egg)

Heat oven to 400F. Grease two 8- or 9-inch pans *or* one 13"x9" cake/casserole pan. (Note: if you use a liberal amount of vegetable oil to grease the pan(s), the edges of the cornbread will come out crispy-ish. Yum!)
Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (good freakin' luck!).
"9 servings." (Yeah, right! LOL!)

Dear Blogosphere...

Please vote for these guys!!

I told them I would vote for them and recruit as many votes as I could (minus booby pics), and they look like they'd have a blast in South America!

Please vote for them!

Note: I don't know them personally. I've met one of their friends once at an RPG meet-up. But they seem really cool and enthusiastic, and I want to see their vacation photos when they win the trip!

Cheers, all!

Onwards and upwards!

Tacos

I've found that Dairy Queen tacos are far superior to Taco Bell tacos. I can't put my finger on why, but I think it has to do with that "pico sauce" stuff that TB uses. Bleh. It saddens me a little that the drunk/high college kids of America may never know the deliciousness of DQ tacos because in my travels I've found that DQ doesn't sell Mexican food at all locations. And why, why, why did it take so long to develop the multi-textured goodness of the double-decker taco? Those things are pure win in my book. If only DQ had a double-decker version...! Have you ever been to a San Antonio Missions game and seen the Henry's Puffy Tacos mascot? Sort of naughty!! It was probably the most entertaining thing about the entire experience. They really oughta trim up the lettuce at the very least. Off-topic a little: I really like watching sporting events live in person. But only if there's beer involved. It's basically a party where you're not expected to carry on a conversation. Right up my alley.