When it comes to cooking, I learned a *lot* from my mama. She was the queen of church potlucks, had a cooking trick for practically every application, and was genuinely most happy in the kitchen (or on the back porch...). One time, I asked her what cornbread mix she used and she was genuinely taken aback. "What 'mix' do I use? I make my own! It's easy. I'll teach you." It was then that she told me her cornbread recipe and I've made it this way ever since. There's something wholesome and filling about recipes like cornbread. It just makes you feel good. When I think of recipes from my childhood I think of several, but my favorites were: homemade chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, chicken tortilla soup, Mexican casserole, chicken spaghetti, Dorito casserole (man I wish I had that recipe), and beans and cornbread. We had cornbread a lot growing up. Any time our meal was broth based - cornbread. [yumprint-recipe id='17']So, cornbread has always been super special to me. It was one of the dishes my mom did so well and one that I'll always remember. It has another special meaning for me, too. I had a piece of her very last pan of cornbread. It was the last dish she'll ever make. The fact that I was able to savor a piece of cornbread from her last day on Earth is really special to me and I am so grateful. I'm grateful for my wonderful mom who taught me so many valuable things. I'm thankful for home cooked meals. And, I'm thankful for cornbread.Next time you need a starchy side, try your hand at homemade cornbread.You can buy my favorite cast iron skillet here (affiliate link): http://rstyle.me/~9yDbx[show_shopthepost_widget id="2378556"]

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