This sinful cornbread is a “sometimes food” in our house, but a delicious addition as a special side treat. My family is from the South so I have a deep fondness for sweet tea and sweet cornbread. This cornbread takes the cake literally, in my opinion, because it is deliciously sweet and tastes almost like a little bakery cake with your dinner. Unlucky for me, it is made with all the items I have in my pantry so it is far too convenient to make!
You need to balance this side out with something nice and light though to make up for it so I love to pair this with a delicious summer salad. My Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad is loved by all and is a favorite recipe from my Cooking Light Magazine.
If you have a garden, don’t be afraid to work in whatever you have on hand. I tossed in a handful of fresh parsley and garden tomatoes from our little patio garden. Whatever you have on hand or see at the farmer’s market is fair game for this yummy dish.
Sinfully Sweet Cornbread
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or lightly grease a nine inch round cake pan. In a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
1 pound chicken (about three small breasts)
½ pound penne pasta (can do regular or whole wheat pasta)
1 romaine heart, chopped
½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes (I did regular tomatoes from our garden, but placed them on the side for those that wanted them)
1/3 cup Caesar dressing (I love the Kraft fat-free Caesar Dressing)
A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top
Bake chicken breasts as directed on package on a cookie sheet. While the chicken is baking, chop the romaine heart and halve the tomatoes. Cook pasta until al dente, as directed on package. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Dice the cooked chicken and put this in a bowl. Toss in pasta, tomatoes, lettuce, and the dressing. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. This can be served with a little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Amy’s Notes- Because I wanted plenty of food for leftovers, I actually cooked the entire box of pasta and kept all the other ingredients the same. This stretched the dish further and we have enough for four more lunches. Additional dressing can be added to leftovers to keep pasta from tasting dried out. Basically, for forty more cents you can feed another four people! That makes this a great dish to entertain with!