May 25, 2009: Memorial Day with Cornbreads and More

Memorial Day is a Monday holiday, and we decided to proceed with a Cornbread Supper for any people not tending their own backyard grills. About 25 people came to Supper, bringing several red-white-blue dishes: fruit salads, casseroles -- and a golden roast chicken.

Left-behind food labels suggest some of the variety of dishes (and colors):
> Strawberry & Spinach Salad
> Black Bean & Mango Salad
> Lemon Poppyseed Scones!
> Rice, black beans, local ground beef, Irish cheddar, salsa
> Lime Curry Orzo

Cornbreads, carrying out the Red-White-Blue theme:
> [Red] Super-spicy vegetarian with red kidney beans, Elmwood 2008 (frozen) hot and sweet peppers, cheeses, Campsie green garlic, and Blue Moon hot paprika
> [White] Traditional cornbread: Contains pork (bacon and cracklings)
> [Blue] New England sweet corn muffins with Reed Valley 2008 blueberries; vegetarian

Prepare for Savory Cornmeal Waffles - taste treat coming up on Monday night, June 8!

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Boone Tavern Spoon Bread, the 1950s recipe

We have tried spoonbreads (soft, luscious, buttery—described by James Beard as a "heavy, dense soufflé") as Cornbread Supper mainstays before, and used great recipes, but the spoonbreads always did what spoonbreads (and soufflés) do: deflate. Through serendipity, and thanks to a Cornbread Supperian, I lucked into the old Boone Tavern (Berea College) recipe for spoonbread, and it is far less droopy. Perhaps Boone Tavern developed an approach to spoonbread that preserves all its goodness while still working for a busy restaurant. In any case, with thanks to Kentucky food and foodways author and guru John van Willigen, here's an excellent recipe for that can be doubled, tripled, and quadrupled to feed spoonbread to a crowd. It did just that on Monday, February 25, 2013. From Richard T. Hougen. Look No Further: A cookbook of favorite recipes from Boone Tavern Hotel, Berea College, Kentucky. New York: Abingdon Press. 1955. Southern Spoon Bread 1955 Ingredients 3 c...

We remember Vicky Schankula, 1947–2016

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...

Cornbread Supper now is resting

For all the Cornbreadians and would-be Cornbreadians -- it was a good run. A bit more than nine years. You came on Mondays. Conviviality ensued. You made community. Gratitude to all. It was a gift to us.

Cornbread Supper

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