BEST EVER CORNBREAD

As the weather shifts to cooler temperatures I automatically add more soups and stews to my dinner rotation. Last week I was craving slow simmered beans & ham along with a side of cornbread.  I scanned through my recipe boxes and found this newspaper clipping for "Moist Cornbread". I can't remember how long I've had this recipe but I was so happy to have discovered it again! This truly creates the best moist cornbread ever!!

What also makes this recipe amazing is the simple ingredients…..you don't have to worry about measuring out cornmeal..etc..….simply combine it all into one bowl and you are done! With my hungry family of five, it is also nice to have enough portions that you'll have leftovers for the next day.  This recipe is made in a 9 x 13 inch pan so there is plenty to go around!

BEST EVER CORNBREAD

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 (16 oz.) can creamed corn

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter 

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and then pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until lightly brown.  

I served the warm cornbread along with crockpot bean & ham soup. To make the bean soup, simply purchase a bag of dried 15 beans along with 1-2 lbs of ham(diced, pieces or a ham hock), 1 onion and 1 can of diced tomatoes; follow the directions on the back of the 15 bean bag and soon you will be able to enjoy the same belly warming comfort food on a cold evening! If you place the soup into a crockpot to simmer for several hours, you'll only need to bake the cornbread right before dinnertime.  This cornbread is super easy and tastes so moist….not dry and crumbly like other recipes. This will be my go to cornbread from now on!!! Enjoy!!!

3 Ingredient Banana Bread

Just like most families we tend to cumulate ripened bananas quite often. I should get into a habit of placing bananas into my freezer to save for later….but instead I stare at the bananas slowly decaying on my counter and think daily about how I should use them to make banana bread.  Since I've tried numerous banana bread recipes over the years I can never quiet remember which recipes were worth making over again or not. At times I've also felt lazy when I think about the process of measuring out the flour, sugar, etc…. 

When I came across this recipe on Pinterest for an easy bread that only takes 3 ingredients I knew that I had to try it!!! Skipping the step of measuring ingredients and just simply dumping out a box of cake mix is definitely the way to go…..especially on the busy nights when we have so much going on. 

3 Ingredient Banana Bread

1 (15.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix

3-4 overripe bananas, sliced & smashed

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Divide the batter equally into two (Pam sprayed) small loaf pans or one large loaf pan.  Bake for at least 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Options: You could also add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter or even a thin layer of cream cheese to the top. For the cream cheese layer: I simply mixed together 3 Tablespoons sugar with 4 ounces softened cream cheese in a small bowl.  I spread the cream cheese along the top of the two loaf pans; then used a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese layer into the batter and baked as directed. 

On this day, I decided to take it up a notch and added a thin layer of sweetened cream cheese; but the banana bread is yummy and moist on its own without any extra additions. It is so nice to have a recipe that you only have to occasionally grab a box of yellow cake mix at the grocery store and then of course everyone has extra bananas laying around their kitchen…..(or at least in my house). Enjoy this delicious treat warm out of the oven or the next day for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee.