When one thinks of American food, we often think of hamburgers and hotdogs, and even greasy, hearty pizza. All three are definite foods that my husband can live off of, but not me. My taste buds need everything I grew up eating, such as Mom’s cooking, and–I admit–even school cafeteria food.

One food I recall eating as a kid is native to America: Cornbread. This Southern-associated food actually originated with the Native Americans. Corn is even considered as “gold” in Disney’s Pocahontas.

I love store-bought cornbread. It has the right amount of sweetness and moisture. However, I have never been able to successfully replicate the recipe…until today!

Wanting cornbread with tomorrow’s lunch, but not wanting my husband to drive out to the store after our April snowstorm, I decided to throw together whatever I already had in my kitchen.

Here’s how I made my Cheater’s Cornbread:

Recipe:

1. ½ box (216 g) yellow cake mix
2. 1 c. (150 g) cornmeal
3. 2 Tbsp. sour cream
4. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
5. 2 eggs
6. ½ c. water
7. Butter
8. Sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C).
2. Sift the cake mix and cornmeal into a bowl. Then add the sour cream, oil, eggs, and water. Mix well.
3. Pour the mix into a lightly-greased loaf tin.
4. Bake for roughly 50 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cornbread is thoroughly cooked.
5. Brush melted butter on top of the freshly-out-of-the-oven cornbread. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying with more butter and/or a sprinkle of sugar (I prefer the former, and my husband prefers the latter).