Ode to Cornmeal

Ah my little postings.
Last night I made corn bread in a cast iron skillet as I have been doing for the last five years or so. When my son was growing up I made this frequently, maybe once a week. It was his snack, or breakfast on the run. Cornmeal is one of the staples in my house. I am not from the south, either. Having a grandmother from Trinidad helped, though. She used to make thin little corncakes for breakfast once in a while and I ate them with butter and honey. That's where this all started...

I have put cornmeal in pound cake and the texture it gives is amazing.
Cornmeal cereal - made just like cream of wheat, I add half milk/half water to cook and add the sugar while it's on the stove. My son loved this when he was young.
Fruit cobbler with a flour and cornmeal batter mixture, mmm.
It makes a great batter to coat fish or meats before frying.
Replace some flour, about a half cup, for pumpkin bread or zucchini bread.
Add cheese or mild green chillies to cornbread batter.
Chili and cornbread, a match made in heaven.

Last night I had it with butter and a little Lyle's golden syrup. Today I had it with a sliced tomato and some pinto beans cooked with onion and garlic.

I've seen people eat it kinda funky, too. One woman I remember crumbled up cornbread in a glass, poured milk over it, then put a handfull of raw onions on top. The things people eat when they think you aren't looking!

It is quite interesting how we use staples when we don't buy premade foods. Certain foods on their own start to look good to eat; a whole tomato, plain beans with onion and garlic. Nothing fancy. Don't get me wrong; I like fancy too, and I like it a whole lot, but there are occasions for that. Definitely not every day, but the simple life does not need to be hokey or defined as rural.

Simplicity is wholesome good food no matter what kind of shoes you wear.