Cornbread from Scratch the way my Groggy used to Make it!

You might wonder who is "Groggy"? Well...she was my beloved Grandmother. She died 1 year before my mother did. Sad day for me - they were the two most influential women in my life. I called her Groggy because when I was very little I could never pronounce Grandma or Grandmother, the closest I got was "Grog Grog" - she loved it! As I got older, I added the "Y" and thus Groggy was born! It became her nickname in the family and no... she was never sleepy all the time! haa haaa! But this recipe is a tribute to her. The woman could cook! Before she became ill with Rhuematoid arthritis, she'd cook up a storm and all from scratch - no cans, no boxes! I got to live with her for about a year when I was in college right after high school. I'd sit in the kitchen with her and help her but mostly watch everything she did. One of her recipes she was famous in the family for was her Cornbread. She was born in Mississippi but lived in Gary, Indiana and she brought all her recipes from her childhood and taught a bunch to me. Unlike my mom, Groggy and I loved to cook, I remember those days we were in her little kitchen as she planned the meal and I helped prep all the veggies and followed her lead.

Groggy was such a sweet lady, never complained of pain or hurt. She was also very funny and I remember so many times of her just talking and I was almost on floor in pain from laughing so hard. I thought of her as my Mommy #2 and told her so. She'd joke and tell me I could call her Mommy as well ! But when the arthritis got worse, she could no longer cook and so I took over for awhile when I lived there. Years later she developed cancer and passed away. Though she's gone, her spirit still lives in me and so do all my memories of her. Indirectly, this blog is also a dedication to her as well as my mother because she prayed for me, loved me and taught me all she knew. I even learned about my ethnicity from her. I never knew I was Native American, Caucasian and Black - my mother just never told me. I knew something was funny about me because I was lighter than my family members but I had all this hair and at times I did think I was adopted but I never questioned it. My mother taught me to respect all people by character not color. I noticed differences but didn't take it seriously. One day Groggy sat me down and told me my grandfather on my mom's side was Native American. I never met him nor know anything about him. My father's side was white and also think they were mixed too - again never knew them, I grew up with my mom, Groggy and Lindsay (my step-grandfather). I guess you can say I'm Neopolitan! haa haa!!! But anyway I said all that to say that I appreciate what my Groggy taught and shared with me. She helped shape me and I hope I can be more like her!

So onto her skillet cornbread recipe...She loved to make this after frying bacon in her cast iron skillet and she didn't like Jiffy Cornbread Mix at all. My mom used to make this using Jiffy as a shortcut and it was good but nothing like making it from scratch. Cheers to Groggy!

2 tsp. bacon drippings

1 c. yellow corn meal
1 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable shortening

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch iron skillet or a heavy 8-inch square baking pan with the bacon drippings. Place in oven to heat while mixing batter.

Combine dry ingredients; sift together into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, milk, and 1/4 cup shortening; beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute. Carefully pour batter into the hot pan; bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Cut cornbread into wedges to serve.