late Southern dinner

Today was rough. A 1,000-word packed day with a hard mid-day workout left me crumpled on the couch after work, mindlessly browsing the Internet for Christmas gifts and ordering my Dad a calendar I made in iPhoto. J came over, and right before we headed to the grocery I found some delicious curry tempeh recipe. I only needed potatoes and cream to complete the list of ingredients.

We got in the car to head to the grocery, and the temperature had already dropped what felt like 10 degrees. I quickly realized if I wanted to make curried tempeh and eat before midnight, it would have to be another day, as I tend to be a slow shopper and especially slow in the kitchen when it comes to new, unusual recipes.

I've found my apartment—and more significantly, my kitchen—has put me head-to-head with a lot of firsts. As J and I wearily trudged through the grocery, both grumbly about our equally glum work days, I started throwing out suggestions for dinner. It's perfect weather (and season) for kale and eggs, and I could make both of those things with equal speed and success.

As we meandered through Bilo, scooping up necessary items and searching for "luxury" items that will never be found in Chattanooga, we decided to add a sweet potato to the menu for the evening.

So in place of curry tempeh, I whipped up a delicious, beautiful twist on traditional Southern cuisine. The quart of buttermilk I so desperately wanted to use for biscuits this weekend also loomed over my head, too.

The menu?

Lightly sauteed red kale, baked rosemary sweet potato fries, fluffy scrambled eggs with cheese, and my favorite cornbread.

The cornbread recipe, taken from the original Moosewood Cookbook, was the first baked item I remember making "on my own" in my Mom's kitchen. It was the first recipe I accidentally switched the amounts of baking soda and baking powder; and consequently this evening, it was my first homemade cornbread in my first cast iron pan.

And god was it a delicious combination. I think I like this cornbread more than a lot of cakes. It's sweet and fluffy, and the cast iron gives it just the hint of crispiness on the bottom that makes cornbread perfect to me. I used local eggs, honey and buttermilk from the Cruze Dairy in Knoxville.

Moosewood's Cornbread

1 c cornmeal
1 c white flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1/4 c honey
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
3 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 425. Mix dry ingredients. In seperate bowl, mix honey, buttermilk, egg. Combine wet and dry. Use melted butter to coat cast iron. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size pan you use.

Now my house is warm, the dishes are washed, thanks to J, and I can eat cornbread all week. Maybe I'll even make some for the company potluck this Friday and put that buttermilk to good use.