Mom's Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon shortening or butter
• 2/3 cup self-rising cornmeal
• 1/3 cup self-rising flour
• milk, enough to make a pourable, but not too thin, batter (mine is the consistency of cream of wheat)

Directions

1. 1

   Place 1 tbsp shortening (or butter, or bacon grease) in a oven-proof skillet, preferably cast iron. (These ingredient ratios are for my 6" skillet).

2. 2

   Put skillet in oven and turn to 400. Let oven and pan preheat for 10-15 minutes or until shortening is melted.

3. 3

   While pan is heating, mix cornmeal mix with flour and add enough milk to make a pourable, but not too thin, batter.

4. 4

   Carefully remove preheated pan from oven and pour in batter. Pan should be hot enough that batter begins to cook around the edges almost immediately.

5. 5

   Batter should only reach about 1 inch high in the pan, or about halfway, as cornbread will rise---if you have too much batter, discard extra or reserve it for another batch. I haven't tried saving it for later, but I would imagine it would keep for a day or so in the fridge before baking.

6. 6

   Bake cornbread at 400 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and cornbread tests done when toothpick is inserted in center.

7. 7

   Note: This recipe can easily be adjusted for a larger pan. The basic ratio is 2 parts cornmeal to 1 part flour, and then enough milk to make it thin enough to pour, but not too thin. I find that my batter has the consistency of semi-thick cream of wheat. Baking time may need increased for a larger pan.