This post is coming in late today–things have been crazy with getting ready for our vacation. I, for one, am very excited because it’s been years since we’ve all been on an actual vacation as a family. And I haven’t been to Disney World since I was maybe 9 or 10. Just two more days of work and we’ll be home free…

It’s Soul Food Sunday and I had a hard time figuring out what to make! There are way too many soul food dishes to choose from, but I was looking to do something that wasn’t dinner and that is really quick and easy to make.

There’s nothing easier than cornbread. Really! It requires as much skill as a pancake, meaning…it’s easy. I noticed when I went to college up north that Yankees like their cornbread sweet and cakey. I think they use more flour than cornmeal and add a fair amount of sugar to the batter. In the South, the traditional cornbread that you will get in a restaurant is more savory and dense. I’ve seen southern cornbread recipes that actually use all cornmeal (no flour) and don’t add any sugar at all. For a middle of the road cornbread, I love Grandma’s recipe (not my grandma, but somebody’s). I used another recipe as an inspiration to transform my go-to recipe into a more southern style muffin.

These have more cornmeal than flour and only a little sugar. The best part is definitely the fresh corn you’ll find inside.

Southern Corn Muffins

• 1 1/4 c. cornmeal
• 3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/3 c. oil
• 3/4 c. fresh corn kernels (thawed frozen corn is fine)

-Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in a mixing bowl.

-In a seperate small bowl, whisk togather the remaining ingredients with a fork.

-Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir with a wooden spoon. Fold in the corn. Don’t overmix! It’s okay if there are lumps.

-Grease a muffin tin and pour the batter into the tin using a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the batter.

-Bake the muffins at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and cooked through. Makes 12 muffins.

These make a wonderful side for just about any meal (even breakfast) and take less than 10 minutes of active prep time.

We had them with shepherd’s pie for dinner tonight! Like I said, they really do go with just about anything.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend! Thanks for reading!

-Lauren