Cheddar Corn Bread

I'm not a big fan of traditional true-blue Southern cooking. I usually find it to be:

a) Dry
b) Overcooked
c) Flavorless
d) All of the above

I prefer my Southern cooking to be "Yankee-ed Up". For example, take the classic "corn bread". I find eating traditional cornbread as appealing as dining on a cardboard box. Hands down, my favorite cornbread comes from the "3-for-a-dollar" Jiffy box mix. It just has the right balance between sweet and bland for my pallet.

So imagine my surprise when I was flipping through my "Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking" cookbook, and found the following recipe. This hallowed Georgia restaurant makes cornbread with Jiffy mix too. The recipe is no more difficult than the one on the box, and it is 1000% better. The texture is more like a moist cake, and the flavor is twice as good. I have all the ingredients in my pantry, and can't wait for the occasion to make it again.

Ingredients
2 (8.5 oz) boxes of corn bread/muffin mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 (14.5 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a bowl combine the corn bread mix, eggs, milk and yogurt until blended. Stir in the corn and cheese.
2. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares. Serve warm.

from the "Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking"

Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
Apple Cider Applesauce (recipe follows)
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin thin and a 6-cup tin with paper liners. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Put 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, the granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, 1 at a time. On low speed, mix in the applesauce and then the flour mixture. Stir in the nuts.
3. Divide the batter among the muffins cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the tins on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, in the clean bowl of the electric mixer, mix the cream cheese with the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until smooth. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the muffins. The muffins can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 days.
   

Apple Cider Applesauce

Ingredients
1 lb juicy apples, such as McIntosh, peeled, cored, and quartered
3/4 cup apple cider
1 Tbs. sugar, plus more if needed
Pinch of salt

1. Bring the apples and cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover the pan; reduce heat. Simmer until the apples are very soft, about 12 minutes. Stir in the sugar and salt.
2. Cook (uncovered) over medium-low heat until the apples have broken down and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add more sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics