Restaurants... Who Needs 'Em?

Alright, so the title of this post is a little misleading. I miss restaurants. It’s true. Sure, there are a few I can still eat at… but there are ones I will never eat at again that I miss. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very thankful for the exceptional restaurants I have found that go out of their way to provide a “safe” meal for me. They are my heroes! But once in a while, I do find myself dreaming of days gone by…

One restaurant that was in the top 10 of "Katie’s Favorites" was Cracker Barrel. The truth is, I don’t really like their food all that much. Confused? Let me explain.

The food, in general, is way too salty. But I am a sucker for a restaurant that invites you to SHOP while waiting for your table. Ingenious. I can plunk down a pretty penny or two in their little shop. There was one thing on the menu, however, I always looked forward to at Cracker Barrel. Cornbread. I love cornbread. Personally, I think it should have its own food group. But I digress.

I would even go so far as to call myself a cornbread snob. I’m not proud of that title, but it’s true. I don’t like cornbread that is so dry it sucks all the moisture out of your mouth. I like cornbread to be warm, soft and sweet. Warm and sweet can easily be accomplished in the gluten free world, but soft?

Well, dear friends, I can honestly say I’ve done it. I’ve come up with a recipe for warm, sweet, SOFT cornbread. I know it’s good because just today I made a small batch (to photograph, of course!) and I heard my mom eating it in the kitchen. No, I didn’t hear her smacking her lips and chowing down. I heard, “Ohhhh…” and, “Mmmmm…” throughout the entire snack. (Always a good sign.)

Sure, I may not be able to go to Cracker Barrel anymore. But I now have a darn good recipe for cornbread and my husband doesn’t have panic attacks anymore from me shopping… er, I mean, eating… there.

Gluten Free Sweet Cornbread Recipe

• 1 cup Pamela’s Baking Mix
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix Pamela’s Baking Mix with the cornmeal. Add in sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to mix the ingredients. Next add your egg, milk and oil. Mix well. Grease your pan and fill, then bake.

8 inch square pan - 35 minutes
11x7 baking pan – 25-30 minutes
13x9 baking pan (when doubling recipe) – 30-35 minutes

Every oven is different so look for some browning around the edges, a golden brown color on the top, and firmness in the center when lightly touched. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean it’s done.