Cast Iron Cornbread

It's been a while since my last post.  No, I didn't start this blog as a fantastical idea/project to be excited about for a few days and then not follow through.  Sometimes life gets in the way! :) (or pinterest, lol)

Anyway, my mom made this amazing little cookbook for my sisters and I for Christmas.  It has favorite recipes of my mom and granny (who passed away when I was very young).  I've been making recipes out of the book ever since I got it! So fun!

Last week, I made hamburger soup.  It's a really simple tomato based soup recipe with hamburger meat and veggies.  The perfect thing accompany this hearty soup?  Cornbread, duh!

So, my boyfriend happened to have some near expiration Jiffy mix so I used that.  He tends to buy things and then forget about them.  I've always made it from "scratch."  We didn't use box mixes for things when I was growing up.  I remember the first time I ate "mashed potatoes" at my school in Illinois. Even in fourth grade, you weren't fooling me with fake potatoes.  Anyway...

The Jiffy mix turned out pretty good...but nothing like my mom's.  I've made cornbread a hundred times on my own and it never tastes like hers.  I've called her a few times to verify how she makes it.  I think I finally figured out why mine is so sub par.  I need a cast iron skillet!! My mom always makes her cornbread in a cast iron skillet.  If you're Southern, you probably do as well. 

Then, as I usually do, I wanted to know what made it so different.  After searching for an answer, I found a few ideas from other bloggers who share my love for cast iron cornbread.  One says it the flavor you get from the skillet. Another says it's the crispy crust.  They both confirm that this Southern way is just the way it should be done.  Shocking! :) 

Well, keep it Southern, sweetie!