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No sugar in the cornbread! (Although I love reading what everyone does!). Just had to comment because I'm making cornbread tomorrow. It is going to be yummy. I haven't had any for several months as I was really watching carbs for a while, lost down to my goal and then moved. My great neighbor gave me some vegetable beef soup tonight (it smelled so good -- just like my mother's) and I was thinking about what I would put in her container to return tomorrow (I never give an empty food container back!). I'm cooking two pans of corn bread and buying some treats at the market tomorrow, so she'll get two goodies -- just not packaged together!
Here's my cooking pedigree -- my grandmother was from north Tennessee (north of Nashville) and also lived in SE Tennessee, north Georgia and the Atlanta area. My mother was the same except for north Tennesee. I have always lived in either north Georgia, southeast Tennessee or the Atlanta area. My dad lived in the same places, except for north Tennessee.
My cornbread is cooked in an iron skillet. I'm proud to say that I have three generations of skillets! They are my grandmother's, my mother's and mine. My ten iron skillets range from 6" to 10" and I have some duplicates on the sizes. They are all Lodge, which is a cast iron manufacturer in South Pittsburgh TN. I love cooking in them and love the family connection. When I moved in June I had to wait a few days for the townhouse to be ready so several things went into the hotel room with me. The iron skillets were one of the items. I laughed when I described what was going in the car and staying with me. I said that the skillets and old whiskey jug looked like the Beverly Hillbillys but I didn't care. These are really irreplaceable treasures.
What kind of corn meal does everyone use? I like Stiver's Best, Martha White and White Lily. I had an aunt who lived in southern California most of her adult life and she would always stock up on cornmeal and grits when she came to Georgia. She used to bring an extra suitcase. Happy cooking!
My mom only made corn bread occasionally. We called it johnny cake, and put syrup on it. I never knew it could also be a savor dish until I saw it on a cooking program! Funny how our minds work sometimes......
I use Martha White of course - It's got Hot Rise!!!
I want to break into your townhouse and steal at least 2 of those iron skillets. Have never had one and I'm Southern and 66 years old. Isn't that sad? Think my mother threw out "all that old junk".
Okay . . . I had planned to go to the market, etc. but started too late. I have to at least make it to Publix today! I'm a generous soul but I can't share my skillets! I made the french toast in for lunch. Also, I wish ya'll could have seen what else I had stashed in the hotel drawers!
Here are some more funny comments on cast iron, cornbread,etc. My cousin decided he wanted a skillet to make the cornbread in so he bought a 6 inch one. Of course it wasn't seasoned and the bread was horrible. He struggled along awhile and finally asked me aunt how you got the "black color" or where you could buy one! It's so funny . . . I have had many people ask the same thing over the years. I remember I had a friend who put one in the dishwasher (you can imagine what that did).
My grandmother used to cook what she called hoecakes. They were a thin cornbread batter pan fried in a skillet about the size of pancakes. My mother called these "little cornbreads". They are really yummy with butter or margarine, some fresh vegetables and canteloupe. I also remember my grandmother saying "we're going to make a little cornbread". This indicated she was using the 6" skillet.
My uncle wanted to throw away old garden tools when my mother died and I quickly stopped him! I am getting ready to hang a few of these this afternoon. I have seen some old cast iron (garden tools, skillets, etc.) painted white in some designer and interior decorating shops in Buckhead (Atlanta). Cute for decorating but what a waste! My interior decorator friend (who is from Texas) wanted to paint some of my stuff white (not my skillets) before I left Georgia. I appreciated the gesture (she is a wonderful friend) but had to put my little foot down! I love the patina on some of the older iron.
When I think about it I'll include the link for the Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg (near Chattanooga) TN. I believe it's in the spring.
I love hearing about food in different regions of the country. Cooking varies a lot even within regions. I have a friend from Louisiana who doesn't like cornbread dressing. She says it is too mushy. When I get around to it I'll put her gumbo recipe on here. I saw where someone puts sage in their cornbread. I've never done that but I do use sage in my cornbread dressing -- it always smells heavenly!
I put a scant amount in. I put a spoon of sugar in spaghetti sauce, too. Almost anything that is largely tomatoes (vegetable soup in a tomato base is another) seems to benefit from a touch of sugar. The sugar really brings out the tomato flavor much in the same way a squirt of lemon juice brightens flavors in a lot of dishes. You don't really taste it in there, but the result is improved by its presence.
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That's a fantastic story, Antique!!
