Campout Cornbread

Who knew the Boxcar Children could cook?! Apparently, my mother did. We loved her "Campout Cornbread" growing up; just enough sugar, yellow cornmeal and cakey to perfection. We especially loved it with chili. I always assumed that it was one of the recipes her family came up with because they camped a lot when she was little. Then, one day, she gave Natalee this cookbook when she was into reading The Boxcar Children series.

It's one of my most asked for recipes. So, here it is:

Campout Cornbread (9 servings)

In The Yellow House Mystery, camping out was really an adventure for the Aldens. The fresh air made everyone hungry. Mr. Hill showed them how to make ham, eggs and cornbread.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. Remove from the oven. Cut into squares and serve warm with margarine or butter. (Honey butter is great, too.)

Lovan's Corn Muffins (12 muffins)

You can also make corn muffins like the ones Lovan made in Mountain Top Mystery. Use the recipe for Campout Cornbread, but pour the batter into 12 muffin papers in a muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick.