I grew up on the side of a mountain in the southern part of
West Virginia. My mother was good with money so we always had enough to get by.
Each year we had a garden which my grandfather would tend, and my grandmother
made my clothes. So, I never felt deprived.
My mother was a great cook and she knew how to present pinto
beans with some side meat in it, greens and cornbread that felt like we were
eating fine dining. She would offer up an amazing piece of home pie, cookies or other desserts to top off the meal.
She and my grandmothers could make cornbread that melts in
your mouth. It was moist, crunchy, and cake-like all-in-one yellow muffin. Add
some butter, honey, or preserves with it and your mouth had a party going on.
I have strived over the many years of cooking to get that
same result. Both from box mixes and from scratch. But the party in your mouth
corn muffin had eluded me….until now!
My son just finished his fifth chemotherapy treatment and
in the days afterward, it is a job to keep him eating. He has a lot going on
that does not put food at the top of his list. So I thought maybe I could make
some corn muffins that would entice him to eat.
I went to my bookshelves that hold the cookbook collection
and pulled all the ones with the plastic binding that come from the church ladies
of the past era. They always have the best recipes for pure and simple food.
After looking through several and comparing the different recipes, I decided to
try my hand at combining them into a pleasing addition to the evening meal.
What follows is the result and a good one it turned out to
be. The son ate several and the husband gave them a thumbs-up as well.
The recipe is simple, and you place all the ingredients into
one bowl BUT be sure to place them in order of the recipe. Just start from the
top and start dumping them in, stir and put in your greased muffin tins. This recipe
makes about 16 muffins.
This recipe uses Martha White’s Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix.
Martha White brands have been around since 1890, and that is a long time. I was
brought up on the brand due to a couple of bluegrass musicians, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs who had the Blue
Grass Express sponsored by Martha White. They played music all over the south
and pushed the Martha White flour and cornmeal. The first concert I attended was with my grandmother, Pearl England, who had a restaurant in Williamson, W. Va., and took me to the courthouse to see them. She used Martha White products too! Martha White also had a banner on the stage and sponsored The Grand Ole Opry. The quality of the products is
the same as when I was a little girl 70 years ago. So don’t mess with success!
I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine.
BTW Martha White does not sponsor this post. It is a nostalgic memory of a great product that I grew up with and still use.
MOM’S
CORN MUFFINS
Preheat
oven to 350 Degrees
1 Cup
of Martha White’s Self-Rising White Corn Bread Mix
½ Cup of
Martha White self-rising flour
¼ Cup
of Vegetable Oil
1 Egg
1 Cup
of Sour Cream
¼ Cup
of Butter Milk
¼ Cup
of Sugar
Place all the ingredients in the mixing bowl in order of
the recipe. Mix until the liquids and the dry ingredients are combined. Spoon
into a greased muffin tin filling about half full.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes when done they will have a light
golden brown on the top. Be sure and check your oven on the first batch to see
the temperature is correct. Some ovens are hotter than others and it can make a
difference in the time and temperature you use.
