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Rite of Passage

9/22/2015

4 Comments

 
PictureTara
As another birthday has come and gone, things are very different for me now.  I am 25 years old and have recently become a wife.  One of the things I have taken great pride and put much effort in is cooking supper.  Phillip loves a good meal.  He is so very talented and works hard everyday, so I think he deserves it! 

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I enjoy cooking, especially for him, because he enjoys it so much.  One of the things I have been working on perfecting is my Nana's cornbread.  Anyone that has eaten it, loves it--including Phillip. 

For my 18th birthday, my beloved Nana gifted me a cast iron cornbread pan and a bag of corn meal. If this wasn't a rite of passage into southern womanhood, I’m not sure what is.
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To this day I have only attempted her "recipe" about 6 times. I had fought the good fight and wasted too many ingredients to keep this up--so this is my attempt at getting it right, and I have decided to share her secrets with you.


This is what Nana says to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Take your seasoned cast iron pan and coat the bottom with oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine 1  1/2 cups of White Lily Self Rising Corn Meal, 1/2 cup of White Lily Self Rising Flour, 2 Tablespoons of oil, and enough buttermilk to get your mixture to pancake batter consistency.  (You will want to add the buttermilk in small amounts, stirring as you go, so you know when the consistency is right.)  
Pour your mixture into the oiled pan and place it in the preheated oven.
Bake for about 3o minutes, or until the top starts to brown. 


I know this recipe may seem simple, but I have managed to destroy it quite a few times.  I have since improved my cornbread skills, but I still allow Nana to bring the cornbread to family dinners (She makes enough for me to take some home too!).  No matter how hard I try, it will never be as good as Nana's cornbread.  Try the recipe for yourself and see if you have Nana's secret touch.  If you get it right, you'll know!


Do you have what it takes to make a delicious Southern meal?  If you don't, we do!
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4 Comments
Sandy Hudson McClurd
9/22/2015 10:01:38 pm

Tara, I too have problems with cornbread. My Mom was from Pennsylvania, and Yankees just do not do cornbread. So she never baked, fried, etc cornbread that I remember. But.....my Grandmother Hudson did, I can almost smell and taste it now.

I have plans to try my hand at Nana Monteen's. I know it is delicious.


Thank you for sharing.
Sandy

Reply
Tara
9/24/2015 10:17:12 am

Thank you Mrs. Sandy!
It's good to know I'm not alone. It is true, practice makes perfect, and Phillip doesn't mind being the guinea pig!

Reply
Jai Ammons
9/23/2015 08:42:28 pm

Tara- please know this is a struggle for me too! Not just cornbread but biscuits as well! I will never be able to duplicate them! I too have wasted ingredients and time to trash the batch! But I always hope for the day I get them right!

Reply
Tara
9/24/2015 10:18:45 am

Thanks Jai! The struggle is real--but I'm sure it took Nana a while to get it right too. She says she didn't even know how to cook spaghetti when she got married!

Reply



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