I happened to have all the ingredients, and I was hungry, so I decided to mix up some quick cornbread.

I used a good deal of sugar here just because I was in an oddly Yankee kind of mood – you can leave it out completely if you want a more savory cornbread, and please forgive me in the meantime. I also chose to use a baking tin instead of my cast iron skillet today just because I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to clean and treat the cast iron after cooking. But if you use one, your cornbread will be tastier thanks to the “seasoning” of the skillet, as well as have a perfect, slightly crisp crust.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can always add different ingredients such as green chiles, cayenne pepper, or grated cheese, too. Cornbread is fairly foolproof, so just have fun with it.

This easy, delicious version can be made from items most people have in their kitchen. It’s fast, it’s filling, it’s fantastic!

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw sugar (adjust to taste)
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk (or, even better, buttermilk)
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 375° and grease an 8 inch baking pan or cast iron skillet with a little butter, olive oil, or leftover bacon drippings (as I did here – I keep a Mason jar of solid bacon grease in my fridge!).

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt can be measured in a large two cup measuring cup and set aside.

3. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in eggs. Then add milk and stir. Finally, add the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until there are few to no lumps (a few small lumps are okay).

4. Pour mixture into pan and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Cut immediately and serve with generous pats of butter.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Shown here with black beans and butter.