Cornbread Supper

Cornbread Supper, spring 2018 As Cornbread Supper celebrates its ninth anniversary, if you aren't already coming, here are a few answers to questions you may have. You're always invited.  No RSVP necessary. All are welcome.  Bring a dish or a bottle to share, or just come. Bring a good listening ear, children, friends, a bright spirit, a good story. There's a lot more specific information on this website: look in the sidebars and you may find answers to your questions. New people come almost every week. We do have corn-something on the table every week. Usually it's Kentucky black skillet cornbread, vegetarian and naturally gluten-free. Cornbread Suppers tend to start very close to 6 PM. If you come later, you will probably find things to eat, but there may not be many options. Every once in a while, especially in July and August but other times as well, something will change and Cornbread Supper will not be at 250 Campsie Place in Lexington, Kentucky at

Cornbread Suppers have been whopper recently. This week, on the eve of the long-awaited presidential election of 2016, we sang happy birthday to a Cornbread Community regular who turned twelve on Monday, and wanted to be among friends at Cornbread Supper. The table held extraordinary food: salads, homemade chocolate birthday cupcakes, pumpkiny cupcakes, stews, macs-n-cheeses (including gluten free), veggies, pickles, bourbon balls, bourbon cake, rice dishes, exquisite petits fours, fried chicken, homemade applesauce from homegrown applesauce, Cheetos and cornbread. One of the remarkable treats: a young Cornbread Community member's clever, handmade chocolate truffles, made with characteristics relevant to each planet in our solar system. Here's the plate as he was setting it up. Earth? Extremely delicious—speaking from experience.

On October 24, most of the people who come to Cornbread Supper sometimes came all at the same time, along with interested—and most welcome—newcomers. Sometimes that happens: groaning table, lots of talk and laughing and slamming of doors and conviviality. Sometimes the table has bare spots, and people can sit and eat in two seating areas, max. The meal may not be exactly balanced, but there is enough. More talking, laughing, conviviality. It's all good. Here's a beauty of a dish brought on October 24:  It's Sue McKaig's "Sweet Potatoes & Squash w/Honey, Cinnamon, S&P, Olive Oil with Currants splashed with Ouita's Bourbon-Sorghum Dressing" A few others (according to the left-behind food description slips people so kindly complete for each other): Roasted Asparagus w/ Curry Horseradish Spread Vegan Farmers Market Veg over Anson Mills rice . . . . Sour Cream Black Bean & Turnip Green Soup Butternut Squash, Thyme, Basil from our ga

Vicky Schankula, at right, in purple One of life's most gracious and delightful people, Victoria Fairbanks Schankula, found Cornbread Suppers early on, and took joy in the weekly gatherings. She came to Cornbread Supper faithfully, bringing beautiful food, laughter, a camera for her "picture of the day," a lovely British accent, a commitment to helping clean up, and a constant interest in each other person in the room. When Vicky entered the house on Monday nights carrying a particular large round plate, children (and a few adults) trailed her to the dessert table to see what she had brought. The favorites: lemon bars, brownies and her mother's most unusual, delicious carrot cake. Vicky graciously shared and allowed us to publish recipes for Lemon Bars and Isabel Fairbairns's (Gangy's) Carrot Cake on this site. Gangy's Carrot Cake on Vicky Schankula's special dessert plate When illness prevented Vicky from returning to Cornbread Supper

In the early days, the Cornbread Supper reporter posted a list of what the table had contained each week, based on the small slips of paper people use to describe their dishes. That got old, but here's a reprise, just a little check-in a few years later, to see what's on the menu. By chance, some helpful cleanup person gathered some of the little slips together, which helps prompt memory: Mushroom ragout: olive oil, veggies, dairy Hominy Greens gratin: dairy Picadillo: Meat, beans, corn, tomatoes, spices Chleba Bread + Cream Cheees Wheat berries w/ peppers/onions/mushrooms; not vegetarian Fall 2015 Wealthy Applesauce Black Skillet Cornbread: no add-ins, vegetarian, GF, pure Kentucky Cholesterol Lovers' Delight: Eggs, Cheese, Spinach, Mushooms Deviled Eggs Pasta Bake: Bucatini, eggs, cheese, milk, pepper Chili Super food salad Potato salad Greens and veggies Green beans and potatoes Corn pudding Fresh fruit ...and more.

On March 21, 2016, we celebrated seven years of Cornbread Suppers by offering the same two cornbreads that were present for Supper Number 1: Regular Black Skillet/Buttermilk/Hot Water Cornbread, and a version that included Campsie green onions and Hood's Heritage bacon. We also made some of the long-missing Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins that used to grace the table most weeks. The Cornbread Community brought extraordinary potato soup, Brussels Sprouts two different ways, slaw, chicken and rice, vegetarian jelly beans and a host of desserts, and more. We're grateful to have been able to host Cornbread Supper for that powerful and potent number of years: seven. Thank you, Joyce Johnson, for photographing this week's Cornbread Supper.