This article caught my attention right off the bat! Beans, whether fresh picked or dried are a year around staple in my diet. As pointed out in the article there is a lot of good 'stuff' in them like fiber, vitamins, protein and other healthy things. I guess I'm showing my 'country-boy' side by posting the following pictures. True, I add a few strips of crisp bacon for seasoning, but I also add a Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil. I cannot eat beans of any kind without my pan-fried corn beard using olive oil in the skillet. I forgot to mention the Walla Walla sweet onions as a garnish! Thanks for a great idea Sharon!

TBGDN said: my pan-fried corn beard

Mighty fine lookin' beard

//now that's country!

Looks just like my dinner last night except I had ginger ale. AND, Leon, if you are near and dear to my country heart, you didn't put any sugar in that pan fried cornbread!!!

Sharon said: AND, Leon, if you are near and dear to my country heart, you didn't put any sugar in that pan fried cornbread!!!

Never! Only a dash of salt & Clabber Girl baking powder. Occasionally stir in buttermilk instead of water.

Perfect, Leon!!!

Leon, dinner looks marvelous. I could dig right in!

DH would love that meal! Now just how does one make pan fried corn bread? (I don't think Southern California counts as "The South."

Whip up the cornbread batter and spoon it into hot olive oil or whatever kind of cooking oil you use. When one side is browned, then flip like a pancake onto the other till it's browned, too.

Do you need the recipe for the batter, too, Woof????
@TBGDN would you share your recipe? I'd really like to know how similar it is to mine.

I never turn down a recipe! DH loves cornbread, and I'll bet he would love it even more pan fried.

I want to hear what Leon says about his recipe so we can compare.
I love cornbread too, but for the longest time, it was the only bread I knew when I was little. Easy to get meal, I guess, during the War years, not as easy to get flour, maybe.

Rita, I'll set another place. There's apple pie for desert!
You are always

Sharon, Woofie,
Central Indiana doesn't count as the 'South' either, but there's an imaginary
line just south of Indianapolis where the accent somehow changes to that
beautiful sounding dialect! The corn bread recipe is not one written: It is
quite simply a pinch of this, a dab of that. We usually mix white corn meal
(2 cups) with about 2-3tbsp. of self-rising flour, one egg, dash of salt, 1tsp.
baking powder, and mix well with some good quality cultured buttermilk. I
like to mix until it has a thick consistency (not runny). Spoon directly into a
hot skillet with about 1tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. Like Sharon said above
turn when golden brown. Tap lightly with spatula to test for firmness. I like it
golden brown like in the picture. BTW my 40 year-old son in southern
California still calls me about this recipe when he makes it.

If you really want an easy recipe just buy Aunt Jemima white corn meal mix.
It has all the ingredients, and probably just as good. They also have the
buttermilk mix.

I like to make enough for one meal (and guests) to serve it fresh out of the
skillet. You can experiment with ingredients, but try for thick consistency.
It comes second nature for me, but I do not throw it out if it's a little off. It is
always best served hot & fresh. Hope I didn't overkill this idea.

Oh, I love apple pie. I usually put some whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Exactly Leon!! Perfect, the same ingredients I use. I don't measure either.

Be careful of the mixes though, sometimes they have sugar added. I don't know which ones do, but I do know that I can tell with one bite. I don't like eating 'cake' with my beans, so no sugar in my cornbread.

Sharon said:Be careful of the mixes though, sometimes they have sugar added. I don't know which ones do, but I do know that I can tell with one bite. I don't like eating 'cake' with my beans, so no sugar in my cornbread.

My thoughts exactly. Cakes & pies are for desserts; not the main course!

So, I've never had corn bread without sugar. My mother grew up in Arkansas and she always put sugar in her corn bread. That said, I'm curious to try it without sugar. Have I mentioned that people who "don't use a recipe" drive me crazy? I don't always use recipes either, but if I come up with something I really like, I write it down!!! Sheesh, grumble, never heard of being able to reproduce results? grumble.

woofie

I can't remember when I have last had cornbead and I can't remember if it had sugar or not. I do remember that when I had it, I didn't much like it.

woofie said: Have I mentioned that people who "don't use a recipe" drive me crazy? I don't always use recipes either, but if I come up with something I really like, I write it down!!! Sheesh, grumble, never heard of being able to reproduce results? grumble.

Now woofie. I'll bet you can't go wrong! And you'll like it without sugar!

Humph. After poking around a bit on the internet, what is all this reliance on "self-rising" stuff? I have flour. I have baking soda. I have baking powder. I have cornmeal. But I don't have "self-rising" anything! (Particularly not myself.....the dog has to drag me out of bed...)

Go ahead, Woofie, eat a piece of yellow cake with your beans. If you like it then you don't have to worry about a recipe for good cornbread. You can just eat cake.