Ethyl's Birthday--Ethyl's Easy Cornbread

 Ethyl's Easy Cornbread

One ingredient that makes this easy is the addition of

Yogurt!

It lightens-up the recipe, makes it grainy, fluffier
and healthy.

 The birthday party, Denise, Ethyl, Keith, Doug, Yatzi and Gail.

March has been a month of birthday celebrations.

My sister-in-law, Ethyl, had a birthday on March 20th.

We had a little after-church lunch to enjoy our family's company.

Ethyl brought this cornbread that she has been making for several years.

I thought, this is the perfect recipe for her "fifty-something" birthday blog.

Try it. I think it will soon become one of your favorites!

Ethyl couldn't remember where she first got this recipe,

she has been making it for so long.

It will become one of your favorites also!

Ethyl's Easy Cornbread  (This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9x13 pan.) 

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 

3/4 cup cornmeal 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 - 6 ounce container yogurt (key lime, vanilla, or plain) 

water 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 egg, beaten 

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Grease an 8x8 pan. 

3. Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

4. Dump the yogurt into a 4 cup measuring cup. Add water till the yogurt and water measure one cup. Add the vegetable oil and the beaten egg. Mix the liquid ingredients until they are well blended.

5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 

7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and pick inserted comes out clean. 

8. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.

Ethyl & Keith

A Taste of History...

Sometimes portrayed as a classic Southern food, cornbread is actually a true American food. There are as many variations on this quick bread made from cornmeal, eggs and oil, as there are people who make it. Recipes vary from region to region, although the basic ingredients remain the same.

Cornbread has its origins in the very earliest American history. Native Americans who grew corn were well acquainted with its versatility and used it for cakes, breads, and porridges. They shared their knowledge with the European settlers and corn became a staple food before wheat was established in the New World. The first breads settlers made with corn meal were baked in open hearths, sometimes on planks or other implements, and often called “ash cake.” As cooking methods improved, settlers started using their sturdy cast-iron skillets to bake the breads, known by such names as journey-cake, johnny cake, hoe-cakes, dodgers, spoon bread, and a variety of other appellations. 

One of the great advantages of cornbread is that it keeps well and does not need to rise like yeast breads do. This was a big plus in frontier cooking. As it gradually became more widely consumed, variations on the recipe sprang up, depending on what the cook had on hand that day.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-cornbread.htm

Because there were special varieties of corn grown throughout North America, the corn bread differed by region. In the southwest areas, blue corn was popular. The northern regions favored the yellow corn and the south had white corn. In addition, the preparations in making corn bread differed too./p> 

http://www.indians.org/articles/corn-bread.html

Ethyl & Doug, shared March birthdays.

No blog is complete without at least one photobomb.

Right, Gail?

Happy Birthday!