Read:
We have our Friendsgiving weekend in the hills of Virginia coming up, so here’s some light and fun reading looking. I so enjoyed this visual essay Medium published this week on How to Sell a Book–you can find it here. It’s by Sarah Lazavoric, who herself just released a book called A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy. I absolutely love the premise of her book–here’s a snippet from the back cover copy: “Like most people, Sarah Lazarovic covets beautiful things. But rather than give in to her impulse to spend and acquire, Sarah spent a year painting the objects she wanted to buy instead.”
I really admire this idea of enjoying beautiful objects without having to purchase them, maintain them, and store them. I just wish I could paint at all, so I’d be able to do what Sarah did!
And here’s my favorite graphic she drew for the Medium essay. I want to deny this and pretend that I’m more multifaceted, but…it sounds about right.
Eat:
The Best Cornbread You’ll Ever Have*
Let’s talk cornbread. I used to hate cornbread. Because it was dry and crumbly and tasted like I was gnawing on yellow styrofoam and just generally sucked.
And then I saw the light: the yellow beaming glow of the cornbread at Founding Farmers. It was like the heavens had parted and little chubby cherubs came hallelujah-ing down to our table, bearing moist, delicious cornbread. Yes, it’s that good.
So naturally, we had to come up with a way to recreate it at home. Luckily, Founding Farmers has a fabulous cookbook, and lo and behold, the cornbread recipe is right there! A little easier than breaking into the kitchen and kidnapping the chef until he spills his secrets.
Here it is, the recipe for the very best cornbread you could ever ask for:
Founding Farmer’s Cornbread
Makes two 6-inch cast-iron pans
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup canned cream-style corn
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups corn bread mix
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups frozen yellow corn kernels
butter, honey, and sea salt for serving
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Use 1/2 teaspoon of the canola oil to coat the pans and place them in the oven for 10 minutes. Combine the wet ingredients (oil, eggs, creamed corn, and sour cream) and mix well. Then combing the dry ingredients (cornbread mix, salt, sugar, and baking powder) in another bowl. Add the dry into the wet and fold gently, then add the frozen corn. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake about 25 minutes or until golden on top. Serve hot with butter, honey, and sea salt.
All props for this photo go to Jarrett, who has mastered the art of the drizzle shot. We just need to work on helping him differentiate baking powder from citric acid (he grabbed my cheesemaking citric acid and added it to our second batch–whoops!).
* Not a scientifically proven claim, but you’ll sure as hell enjoy this cornbread.
Drink:
And to go with your cozy cornbread? Try this equally cozy drink that uses the fresh pressed, unpastureized cider you can only get at this time of year.
Rye Apple Cider Cocktail
2 oz. unpasteurized apple cider
.5 oz lemon juice
4-5 mint leaves
Maria,
I’m loving your blog – both he content and your writing style. I love cornbread, so I might have to give your recipe a try.
Thanks,
Sherry
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, Sherry–thanks for saying so! And you should try the cornbread. It is amazing.
So excited to find this recipe! Ate at Founding Farmers last week and I’m already jonesing for more cornbread. Thanks!
Isn’t it the best?! And now you can make it anytime you want. 🙂
Are you sure that this recipe calls for cornbread mix? the mix contains sugar and baking powder already. I noticed you have listed these ingredients as well. So wondering if you meant corn meal.
Hi Mark! Yes, that’s correct–you want cornbread mix. This is the exact recipe that was published in the Founding Farmers cookbook, and it works every time. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe and it didn’t brown or have the same texture as Founding Farmers. Any suggestions?
Hi Pam! The recipe is copied exactly from the Founding Farmers cookbook, so this is how they make it. The first time we tried it we expected it to brown more too, but it really only gets slightly golden. It will be more yellow than browned, and that’s fine. The texture should be very soft–their cornbread is usually very moist and soft, which is why we love it! Otherwise, did it taste right to you?
Mine didn’t brown andnthentexture was very soft. What did I do wrong?
Hi! Do you know approximately how many servings are in a single recipe? And would the size of the skillet make a big difference? I might have a 12″ or 18″ I can borrow from a friend. I was thinking of doubling or tripling the recipe in order for it to fit the larger pan.
Hi Mary! I don’t know about the serving size–I guess it just depends whether you’re eating it as a big snack or as a side to a larger meal. We easily ate one 6″ skillet as a snack for two–but we eat a lot! You would probably be okay putting the full recipe in a 12″ skillet rather than into two 6″ skillets, but I’d keep close watch over it in the oven and test it with a toothpick often, since that will completely change the cooking time.
Hope it comes out great for you!
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe – can’t wait to try it for a Thanksgiving potluck! I was wondering what brand you used for the cornbread mix in the recipe ingredients? Do you think it might make a difference?
I have to admit that I can’t remember what brand we used! Most likely it was trader joe’s, but it shouldn’t matter too much what brand you use. Hope it’s a hit at the potluck!
Thanks for sharing! I made this for a contest at work, and this was the winning recipe! =) The first time I made this, I put the batter into two 6″ cast iron skillet, but they ended up overflowing and made a mess! They were perfect for four 6″ skillets, though. =) Did you have the same issue or did you put yours in one larger skillet?
Wow–I can’t believe it was the winner! (Well, maybe I can…the FF crew really knows what they’re doing!) I didn’t have any overflow trouble so I’m not sure what could have happened. But at least you ended up with more cornbread rather than less. 🙂
Thank You so much for sharing this. I was in DC this past week and ate at Founding Farmers on Tuesday night. I have always “liked cornbread”, but have to admit I “LOVED their cornbread”. I am making it right now and will be ready in 20 minutes. Can’t wait. I will probably order their cookbook too after ordering the Chicken and Waffles, Mac and Cheese and Whipped Red Potatoes .
That’s exactly how I felt after I first had it! I finally “got” why people love cornbread. I hope it turned out great for you, Kristen!
I ate at Founding Farmera a month ago and tried the cornbread. It was heavenly! Needless to say I was so excited to find this recipe. It is absolutely delicious. I did use a larger pan though.