All my life I’ve thought my mother made the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted. I still do but they say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I don’t know where that phrase originated but what it means is there are many ways to do something.
Today’s recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Jo Walton. She was an amazing woman and quite beautiful and talented. She was crowned Mrs. Georgia in 1959 and competed in the nationally televised Mrs. Amercia pageant. Back then, contestants were judged on their talents in homemaking skills rather than the traditional singing, dancing. or playing piano. I’m thinking her cooking skills proved to be an asset in that competition.
Jo and her husband Bob were involved in many civic organizations and with one of their children, Beth, being born mentally handicapped, they devoted much time in making life better for people with disabilities including helping to establish special education throughout Georgia.
By the time I came in to the picture and became her daughter-in-law, she was working as the Director of Conventions and Meetings for AFLAC. She and her husband traveled frequently so I didn’t get many opportunities to taste her family favorite recipes. I always heard about her amazing lasagna. Jo also made a squash casserole which I would walk a mile backwards in high heels to taste. It’s one of our favorite holiday side dishes. So was her cornbread which was very different from my mother’s but absolutely delicious. I always make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day dinner or sometimes for all three. It’s that good!
Her granchildren and even her children always called her “Jo Mama.” This is her cornbread recipe.
Ingredients
2 boxes of Jiffy mix
1 can creamed corn
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
Mix all together in a bowl and pour in to a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
If you decide to give it a try, let me know what you think. It’s a little sweeter than traditional cornbread but oh so good!
Do you have a cornbread recipe that is a favorite in your family? Please share it with us. Email me at [email protected] or post on our Dishing Up Memories facebook post. There is more than one way to make unforgettable cornbread.
Happy eating!
