S.M.S. Corn Bread "So good, makes you want to slap your mamma!"

The compliment to every southern meal, the added flare to any smoked barbequed meat, the base of any chili…yes, Corn Bread!  Whether you live in the Northern, Southern, or Midwest region of the country, I’m sure you’ve come across a piece of corn bread that you loved or maybe even hated.  For me, corn bread needs to be S.M.S. – “Sweet, Moist, and Savory” all at the same time.  In search for this, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I took matters into my own hands.  In hopes to accomplish this, I’ve created a simple, but original corn bread recipe that I wanted to share.  

Special thanks to my neighbor and friend, Caroline Kessler for helping me out by testing this recipe.  If you find this to be helpful, or have any suggestions/questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

S.M.S. Corn Bread “So good, makes you want to slap your momma!”

Ingredients:

• (2) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix boxes
• (2) Large Eggs (kept at room temperature)
• Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix 
• 1 Cup of Fat Free Milk
• 1 Cup of Frozen Sweet Corn Cut from the Cob
•  ½ Cup of Finely Diced Spanish or Yellow Onion (about a quarter of an onion)
• 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Shortening (do not melt)
• 2 Tablespoons of Corn Meal
• 1 ½ Tablespoons of Butter (kept at room temperature)
• 1 Tablespoon of Flour
• ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• ¼ Teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Salt

Equipment 

• Large mixing bowl
• Small mixing bowl
• 8 x 8 inch glass pan (oven safe)
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Pastry blender or fork utensil
• Whisk or mixing spoon
• Spatula
• Chopping knife
• Chopping Board

Recipe Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven.

Step 2:  Cut up the onion by finely dicing until you get a ½  of a cup.  In a small to medium pan or skillet, add the tablespoon of butter, diced onions, a pinch of salt, and ¼ of the black pepper.  Cook the onions until they are translucent (clear or opaque looking).  Set mixture aside and let cool until Step 6.

Step 3: In the mixing bowl, put together Jiffy Corn Muffin and Jell-O Instant Pudding; mix thoroughly until blended together.  

Step 4: Add in the non-melted vegetable shortening.  Using a pastry blender or fork, incorporate shortening with dry mix until you get a crumbly texture.

 Tip:  Adding the shortening this way, will create an airy corn bread.

Step 5: Once the shortening is incorporated, make a well (or hole) in the center of the mixture and add the 2 large eggs, 1 cup of milk, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt.  Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until you have a thick batter.  Batter should be two times thick of what pancake batter should look like.  

Step 6:  *Important*Take the 1 cup of frozen sweet corn and add it to another small mixing bowl.  Add the 1 tablespoon of flour to the sweet corn and mix thoroughly until corn is coated with the flour.  

Tip:  Coating the corn with flour will help it disperse evenly throughout the batter.  Every piece of corn bread will have kernels in it!

Step 7: Before placing the batter into the baking dish, coat the pan with ½ tablespoon of butter (sides included) and add the 2 tablespoons of corn meal.  Again, coat the pan with the corn meal this time by shaking it and maneuvering it from side to side until a thin layer is formed (to the right).  You may have excess corn meal left over. If so, you can discard it appropriately. 

Tip: The corn meal layer will add texture to the dish and give you more corn flavor. 

Step 8: Pour batter into the baking dish, and with a spatula, level the batter out until you see that it’s evenly layered.  Put into the 350 degree oven and bake for 60 minutes until golden brown (to the right).  When finished, let the corn bread cool (away from the stove so it won’t continue to cook) for about 15 – 20 minutes. 

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Congratulations!  You’ve just made my S.M.S. Cornbread “So good, make you want to slap your momma!”  

From Your Community Food Chef