Helen’s Cornbread and Corn Pudding…

Corn Bread…

Helen says you need a seasoned iron skillet for the recipe to turn out well.  There are web pages on how to season a new iron skillet using a hot oven and oil.  Her recipe was surprisingly simple.

• 1 cup self rising cornmeal
• 1 cup Bavarian style full fat buttermilk.  (Helen assured me you can get this at any Wal-Mart in the South.  Substitute low fat regular buttermilk if you can’t find it she said.  It just won’t be as rich.)
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening.  (to be melted and added to the cornmeal and buttermilk batter)

Pour in skillet and cook at 450 degrees for 22 minutes exactly.  This makes one small skillet.  Double the recipe for a larger skillet.

Corn Pudding…

• 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter
• 1 (11-ounce) can Niblets corn, 1/4 cup of the liquid reserved
• 1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn.
• 1 cup sour cream.
• 1 (8 1/2 ounce) box corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy.
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Prehead oven to 425 degrees.  Spray or wipe a casserole dish baking dish lightly with oil.  In a large bowl, combine the butter, Niblets with liquid, and creamed corn.  Stir in the muffin mix, sour cream, and eggs. Pour into casserole and cook until golden brown on top.  It usually takes 30 to 35 minutes she said.