Live & Kern

On Sunday, Day 2 of my mother’s trip to St. Louis, we did a little antiquing. I found a set of four silver goblets that were half-price; she found some other silver pieces. I also found a glass juicer, which I’ve wanted for some time, but hadn’t convinced myself to buy. Spotting it at a Goodwill store for $1 changed that. We also picked up a vintage bowl, amber refrigerator dish and a few picture frames. At one of the antique stores, I also spotted a glass corn stick pan. I’d only seen the cast iron version before, but again the price tag convinced me to leave it at the store.

One of my favorite random people-watching spots in St. Louis is the Goodwill Outlet store. (Plus, you can often find interesting things.) As luck would have it, we did: A glass corn stick pan just like the one we’d seen earlier. This one cost about a quarter.

I’m cleaning out the kitchen cupboards again, which this time has resulted in cornbread.

I love cornbread, usually with a little fresh honey. I’ve had a box of mix for some time, mostly because I rarely have eggs and milk on hand at the same time. (It’s the milk — I almost never have milk.) But by some miracle (um, a trip to the grocery store yesterday to buy eggs), I have both.

I also have jalapenos. And corn. And half of an onion. So I really wanted to make Mexican cornbread. Not as good with honey, but darn tasty.

The recipes I found all call for cream corn, which I definitely do not keep on hand. (Or even recommend.) So it’s time to experiment and see what happens. (By the way, I am neither a cook nor a baker, so it’s kind of strange that the last three posts have been about cooking.)

It turned out awesome. So here’s my improvised Mexican cornbread recipe.

Mexican cornbread

1 box cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons chopped jalapenos
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Beat egg until it’s frothy; add milk and cornbread mix. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until well blended. Pour batter into muffin cups or 8×8 pan. Bake until golden brown.

If you don’t like spicy, cut down on the jalapenos. (I kinda added the cheese on a whim — it was in the fridge when I went to grab everything else, and there was only about 1/2 cup.)