"Marie Callendar's" Cornbread

I have an heirloom cookbook put together by my maternal grandpa and his siblings. It's classic, really. They entitled it "Cooking with Memories" and gathered a bunch of fabulously fun family recipes, along with original drawings done by my great uncle -- some are even of my great grandparents' homestead in southern Utah, where they all grew up. There are quotes every few pages about their family life growing up, which I find endlessly fascinating.

Everyone should have a cookbook like this because it is something I truly treasure.

There's no time like Thanksgiving for breaking out the classic family recipes. This is one of those. It comes from that very cookbook, which has a section in the back called "Celebrity Showcase", and features copies of handwritten recipes from generations of family cooks, along with recipes attributed to actual celebrities like John Wayne and Lucille Ball. And while I can't vouch for the authenticity of the recipe as a copycat of the famous restaurant version, it is absolutely the best cornbread recipe I've ever made or tasted, and has been time tested by generations of my family.

So if you're looking for an excellent side for your Thanksgiving table, look no further!

"Marie Callendar's" Cornbread
PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. + 2. Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temp.
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 lg. eggs, beaten. at room temp.

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, butter and eggs. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in milk mixture. Mix until moist but lumpy (don't over-mix). Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick tested in the center comes out cleanly.