Corn Bread

Ah renting....  I am sure that all homes have their quirks, but it seems that when living in a rental, there is a higher than normal incidence of quirky home behavior.  And we, of course, as the tenants are completely dependent upon the whims of the landlord to decide if such quirks need fixing.  Because I'm certainly not going to pay to rewire the townhouse living room so that the TV doesn't have to plug into the only outlet controlled by a light switch.

Apparently the landlord isn't either.

So here I am living with several extra feet of cord winding through my house.  We also have a dishwasher (for which I am grateful, no question) that is controlled by a light switch.

I am so ready to be done renting.

While the switch debacles were quite evident as soon as we moved in, other issues seem to 'materialize' as we go about our daily lives.  Take, for instance, the quirky connection between oven and stove top.

I'm kind of... particular... ok anal... about certain things.

(I come by it honestly.  Have you met my father?)

For example, in every kitchen that I've had since moving out on my own, the tea kettle has always been stored on the rear left burner.

Always.

Do I know why?  Of course not.  But I just can't let myself change that seemingly insignificant detail.

What do my personality quirks have to do with the quirks of my home?  Well it is the specific storage placement of my tea kettle that led us to discover a minor malfunction with our oven.  One evening I was puttering about the kitchen while something or other for dinner baked in the oven.  No big deal, just making the salad, setting the table, cleaning up the cooking mess as I went...  When Alex walks in, stops, and asks if I'm making tea.

"No.  Clearly I'm making dinner.  Who makes tea in the oven?  Besides I never have tea with dinner.  Only in the afternoon with a snack or in the evening after dinner.  Don't you know me at all?"

"Well, then why is there smoke pouring out of the tea kettle?"

Huh?

My first instinct was to assume that I had accidentally turned the burner on.  But a quick check of the stove top revealed that the 'surface heating' light was not on.  No burners were on.  Steam was indeed pouring out of the kettle's spout.  And a quick hovering hand revealed that heat was indeed pouring out of the burner.

Long story slightly less long, it appears that every time the oven is on, the rear left burner gets nice and toasty.... and so does anything sitting on it.  As this does not seem to concern the land lord (it still cooks your food, right?), I now have to remember to move the tea kettle from the rear left burner to any other burner on the stove when using the oven.

Would it be easier to just permanently restore the tea kettle on another burner?  Sure.  Would the world stop turning if I had to, gasp, keep my tea kettle on the rear right burner?  Doubtful.  Does anyone reading this blog think I can be that flexible and logical...?

Yeah, I didn't think so.

So for the next eight months or so my oven pre-heating routine is as follows: open oven, remove pizza stone and extra large baking tray (we have serious storage issues), set both on top of washing machine (I know, glamorous), close oven, move tea kettle from left to right burner, turn dial 1 to bake, turn dial 2 to temperature, wait for little red light to go off.

 (Is it just me?  It doesn't look balanced this way, right?)

But yummy treats like this cornbread (I know it took me a long time to get to the recipe today) are so worth it.  Enjoy!

Recipe: (from Better Homes and Gardens Bridal Edition)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2-3 tablespoons sugar (I used 2 - use 3 for sweeter bread)
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs beaten
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter (I used oil)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (refer to my ridiculous routine above).  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 9-inch round baking pan.  Place in oven about 3 minutes or until butter melts.  Remove skillet from oven; swirl butter in skillet or pan to coat bottom and sides.  (Diva Note: There was still a lot of melted in butter in pan even after coated.  The recipe didn't say to do so, but I poured off the excess butter.)

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and oil.

4. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened.

5. Pour batter into hot skillet or pan.

6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Serve warm.

Nutritional Information: (per wedge)
Calories: 219
Total Fat: 10 g
     Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 60 mg
Sodium: 390 mg
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 5 g
5% DV vitamin A, 12% DV calcium, 8% DV iron

Verdict:
First of all, I so want a cast iron skillet.  Being able to make corn bread in a cast iron skillet would feel so..... authentic.  But as you know, we already have storage issues, so for now the baking pan works fine.

If you like cornbread-Boston-Market-style (so sweet and cakey, it qualifies as two desserts), then definitely go with the three tablespoons (or more) of sugar.  With two tablespoons it was not sweet at all.  This is fine with me.  I like to save my sweets for dessert.  As a side dish goes, this was tasty and a nice treat.  But I'm reserving it for occasional use and / or with extremely light meals to make up for its not-so-uber nutritious nature.

It tasted just like corn bread should with a slightly grainy not too cakey texture.

But it would have been better in a skillet.