Cat Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 BigDD has been married to her DH for 6 years. In that time, I've cooked for them often enough that SIL (meaning Son-In-Law, here) pretty much knows how I cook. One of his biggest "gripes" is that I supposedly put sugar in EVERYTHING! Well, OK - I do often put a bit of sugar in a lot of stuff. It enhances the flavor of a lot of different things - even just a tiny bit - sometimes. But not EVERYTHING! While he shakes his head at it, complains about it sometimes, he still eats what I cook, and usually enjoys it. He likes to experiment in cooking, too, so he's curious about the ingredients. I've been sharing my recipes with BigDD when she asks. She wants to learn to cook more frugally because she's in a different job with fewer hours, expecting baby #3, and hopes that she will be able to eventually stay home full time. She had some frozen stuff in her freezer that she said she wanted to use up or throw away. She asked how she might be able to use up a package of baked spiral-sliced ham slices that has been in there for months. I told her that it would be perfect for bean soup. And I gave her my recipe. She bought everything needed, including the dry-bean "mix" package that is sold FOR bean soup in the grocery store. But she's been too tired to get it done, and she asked if it would be a hardship if I made it while taking care of the kids. So I did that today. I also picked up a couple of boxes of "Jiffy mix" cornbread and made that to go with it. I left before they ate it, so I didn't know if he liked it or not. Then I heard from her on FaceBook... (DH) makes me laugh... He was just sure that the beans I bought wouldn't make a good soup and I didn't dare tell him you use APPLESAUCE in it... He loved it. And he went on and on about your cornbread... "What does she put in it? It's so much better than when I make it!" I told him it's probably grape jelly. That's when I told her that my Daddy taught me to always add more sugar than our recipe called for, as HE liked it. I told her it's her Grandpa's "secret recipe". So I added some to the box mix. Lol. He's DYING to know. I told him you put love in it. Yeah. He just cracks me up. You tell him what's in it and he's grossed out but when he eats it he loves it. :24: :24: I told her that we can just tell him it's an old family secret.... The kids liked the cornbread, too. They got to try some before I left, and the little one LOVES it! Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Nothiing tastes nastier than badly made cornbread :-( Gotsa add sumthin! LOL Quote Link to comment
sassenach Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I sweeten my cornbread. I tend to taste the baking powder in it if I don't. It is a northern thing though, mostly. Southern cornbread usually doesn't have sugar in it. Actually it sounds like it might be pretty good with applesauce in it, the soup. I put some cinnamon in a chocolate cake I made over a week ago. At first it was a bit of a shock, but now I like it, at least once in a while ? In it's own way it does compliment it. I had never thought of that but it was on the store brand recipe for chocolate cake so I put it in . Quote Link to comment
gofish Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon baking powder to 2 boxes of jiffy cornbread mix. It makes it nice and fluffy. Quote Link to comment
Cat Posted December 10, 2014 Author Share Posted December 10, 2014 I'm not sure when I read about adding applesauce. It might have been in the early days of (my) internet. Near the end of the cooking time, I add almost a cup of plain applesauce to a big pot of bean soup. It adds a slightly sweet but interesting flavor. Hard to decipher, but good. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I like my cornbread sweet too. Quote Link to comment
Daylily Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Right, Southern cornbread doesn't have sugar in it. We don't like a sweet taste to our cornbread. I can't imagine adding extra sugar to everything. I'm more inclined to leave it out or add way less. When you don't eat sugar, your taste buds change and that sweet taste becomes nasty. Quote Link to comment
Annarchy Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 That is so sweet, Cat. Handed down recipes are the best, especially when someone else would never guess what is in it. DH says the boxed mixes are too sweet for him. I have not had sweet cornbread since I was a kid, in our house we might do it as a desert. Mom made it that way for breakfast. I have been using an old Mexican recipe for over 30 years: corn meal, flour, milk, egg, cream corn, shredded cheddar cheese; sauté onion, green chili and pimento..... DH wants me to make this years stuffing out of it. Quote Link to comment
Virginia Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 No sugar in cornbread down here, at least not for me. Quote Link to comment
ArmyOfFive4God Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I absolutely love your stories, Cat! Quote Link to comment
Homesteader Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I've got to try the applesauce in the bean soup. We ended up with tons of applesauce after the gigantic apple harvest last year. Quote Link to comment
TheCG Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I don't like sweet cornbread, even though I eat mine slathered in honey. Go figure. Quote Link to comment
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