Food is such an integral part of our lives and of our culture that, especially as women, our cooking becomes an extension of who we are, sometimes even to the point we are known by the things we cook.
Surely you’ve heard something like this, or even said something like it yourself. Oh, that’s so-and-so. She is the sweetest person. She makes a coconut cream pie you would not believe… Our signature dishes, those foods we make best, become like tasty aspects of our personality.
Obviously we should all be judged by our characters rather than by our cooking, but I think it’s wonderful when BOTH commend us.
My dear aunt lost her mother this past week and we all share in her loss. Beckie Payne was a beloved Christian woman, known for her kindness and her graciousness and her wit.
And her Mexican cornbread.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people make comments about Granny Beckie’s Mexican cornbread. Mention her name and mention of her cornbread was likely not far behind it! So it wasn’t surprising to me at all when her cornbread was even mentioned at her funeral. Good foods have a way of making lasting memories much like good times.
I must tell you, though it pains my southern heritage to admit it, I don’t generally care much for cornbread. But this stuff is so good, very moist and flavorful with just the right touch of heat. And though it pairs well with a lot of main courses, it is marvelous with soups! We usually have it with homemade vegetable soup, but it would give a nice kick to old fashioned pinto beans or spicy black been soup or virtually any soup or stew you can think of!
So in Beckie’s memory, let me share.
Beckie’s Mexican Cornbread
3 cups self-rising cornmeal
3 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 (15-oz) can cream style corn
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
Mix all ingredients and pour into two greased iron skillets or two greased 8 x 8 baking pans. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Granted, this hardly qualifies as a low-fat/calorie recipe, but it could definitely be tweaked to be more clean-eating-friendly. For one thing, I actually make my own cream style corn with flour, milk, and salt and pepper. The creamy flavor is so much better than canned!
My kids can’t always take the heat of jalapenos, so I’ll often substitute green chilies. I’ll add a few tablespoons of chopped chilies from the freezer or I’ll use canned. And since we don’t usually eat two pans of the cornbread at once, I usually slide one into a freezer bag and freeze until the next soup night. Sometimes I think it’s even better reheated!
Granny Beckie will be missed. Nothing or no one can replace her. But there’s something comforting about pulling out a recipe a dear loved one has perfected and recreating it. It can bring back a flood of memories; some sad perhaps, because we miss them, but far more that remind us of moments of love and laughter and simple joys.
Good cornbread and beautiful memories. I wonder if that’s why they call it “comfort food”.
Tanya, Thank You for honoring "Granny Payne".
She was a dear lady! Thanks for reading!
Tanya, you mentioned the heat of the peppers… Granny also would substitute them for a can of "mexi-corn", you know, the whole kernel corn with chili peppers diced up in it already. I bought the ingredients for her bread often when I lived with her and this was usually how she would do it at the time. I prefer a little more heat, so I could tell when she'd do the real stuff. lol -Charles
I'll remember that, Charles! Thank you!
It's funny you should post a recipe for Mexican Cornbread….my husband has been asking me to make some. However, he is a "absolutely no cheese" kinda guy. So, I'm wondering….how well this would taste and/or hold together without the cheese????
Hmm…I'm not sure. But I can't really imagine it without the cheese! You could always try it without, though, and let me know how it tastes. 🙂
I just saw your comments on this and it takes me back to one Thanksgiving when I lived with Granny. She sent me to Kroger to get the ingredients, and I was so frustrated. THANKSGIVING EVE… 8 PM. AT KROGER. lol. Anyway, I got what she needed and got back home. She made it the next day without the cheese. She realized this after we started eating, but honestly I don’t think it affected the taste that much at all. 🙂 I never let her forget that either, and she’d cackle about it until she gained her heavenly reward. <3
Tanya, praying for your family tonight. May God bring your comfort and strength. Miss Beckie sounds like a beautiful woman who loved well (and loved to feed her crew!). Thanks for sharing this recipe and linking up at Thought-Provoking Thursday. 🙂
Thank you so much, Lyli!
This is similar to something our family makes but maybe with a little more heat! 🙂 I will give it a try. Beautiful tribute to your loved one. Blessings to you and your family.
Thank you! And thanks for reading!
Tanya…I like Mexican Cornbread although I've never had the recipe you shared. I will have to try it as we like spicy and bread in our house. Thank you for sharing Becky as well. Grateful you linked up at WJIM's Monday's Musings this week. Blessings to you.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to link up, Naomi! Blessings to you as well!
Tanya, the cornbread looks wonderful (I love cornbread with butter), but the photos of your adorable children is even better!!! Thank you for stopping by…I will almost always return back a comment 🙂 Blessings!
Thank you so very much! 🙂