January 2005

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas. The new year is often a time of new beginnings as well as a time of reflection over the year just passed. As my husband and I sit down to write our resolutions, we like a few key words to help us focus our efforts for the coming year. My key words this year are “faithful finisher” as I work diligently to complete a variety of projects.

I recently had a lovely e-mail from a lady who had ordered some of our gingham Stitch & Learn bookmarks. She writes: “I just wanted to write and let you know how much we have enjoyed the stitching on gingham bookmarks. It is such an easy way to teach the skills. What a treat to teach something that my daughter will take with her for a lifetime!”

This month my Future Christian Homemakers will make a hearty beef stew, and some homemade cornbread to go with it. It’s quick and easy to make from scratch, and so much better than the mix in a box! Cornbread is one type of quick bread; baking powder is the leavening in this recipe. This is a great opportunity to teach your children about the chemistry of baking powder and baking soda; see page 53 in the Future Christian Homemakers’ Handbook.

I recommend that you use whole cornmeal, not de-germinated. The “germ” is the embryo or sprouting part of the seed. It contains a small amount of oil and removing the germ extends the shelf-life of the flour or cornmeal. However, that also removes some of the nutrients. Read the cornmeal label and you’ll discover that much of what you find in the grocery store is “de-germinated.” Many grocery stores now have health food sections and you may find whole cornmeal there, and it is readily available at health food stores. Store unused whole cornmeal in a tightly covered container in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the oil from going rancid.

By the way, be sure to have your children look up the word “germ” in the dictionary. It means more than just a disease causing organism! I was recently teaching bread making to a co-op group and extolling the virtues of wheat germ. You guessed it! One of the kids asked why I wanted germs in my bread! I should have realized they might not know the word had another meaning.

This recipe uses regular white flour rather than whole wheat flour. Someone is bound to ask me why talk about the value of whole grain cornmeal and then use refined flour! I grind my own whole wheat when I bake our regular bread, but it makes the cornbread heavier. We just like our cornbread a little lighter, so it’s a compromise I’m willing to make. If you want to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, try it, but I’d suggest trying half whole wheat flour and half regular flour. Let me know how it turns out.

I hope you enjoy the recipe. I bake mine in a cast iron cornbread skillet. You pre-heat the skillet in a hot oven and then pour the batter into it. It makes crispy wedges of delicious cornbread – a real southern treat. There are cast iron pans now with corncob shapes, and even cactus shapes! But a regular muffin pan works too, though the crust won’t be quite as crispy as baking in cast iron. The muffins are still very tasty. Enjoy!

Future Christian Homemakers’ Cornbread
1 Cup cornmeal
1 Cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ t. baking powder
¼ Cup sugar
1 Cup milk
¼ Cup oil
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the muffin pan. Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, oil and egg. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just enough to combine. Do NOT over mix! Spoon or pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve hot. Makes about 12 muffins.

You can also bake this in an 8 or 9” metal baking pan. It will take about 25-35 minutes to bake. Ovens vary, so check bread with a toothpick.

Check back with us in February when I share my Chocolate Tea recipe, and our new “Classic Prayers for Children” book!

Until next time ~

Yours in Him,

 

Copyright, 2005, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

You may make one printed copy for your own personal, private use.  FCH leaders may make one printed copy for each person in their group.  Copyright line above must be included in all copies.  Permission for any other use must be requested in writing. 
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