Corn Spoonbread

One of the great things about being married to a Southerner is the rich food traditions he brought to our marriage. He is by far the better cook between us, growing up with a dad who did much cooking and working his way through college in restaurants. Sweet tea, fried okra, Carolina pork barbecue, Low Country Boil, and banana pudding are just some of amazing culinary creations of the South. Another favorite southern fare is Corn Spoonbread. While I normally like to cook all my food from scratch, this recipe uses an easy shortcut--a box of cornbread mix--to help make this dish a snap. But recently I realized a way to make it even easier. Instead of mixing the ingredients in a bowl, I do this: That’s right--I mix up the bread right in the pan I bake it in. While I wouldn’t recommend this technique for everything, things like casseroles (i.e., green bean casserole, stuffings) and bar cookies tend to do really well with this technique. See? It cooks up just right, and there is enough moisture in the recipe that it's still easy to remove from the pan once it's done cooking. Corn Spoonbread 1 package corn muffin mix (usually about 8 oz) 1 small can corn, drained (about 8-3/4 oz) 1 regular can creamed corn (about 15 oz) ½ cup of sour cream 1 egg 2 tablespoons butter, melted Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a 9 x 9 glass pan. Cook for 30 minutes, or until set. Serves 6-8 as a side. SPC