Cornbread Supper

Each Cornbread Supper has its own firsts and distinctions. Tonight before Supper began, we found in the front door a gift of homemade flan -- that face-in-the-moon, above, is luscious caramel yummy goodness -- with a container of homemade whipped cream alongside. As if the universe or a kind anonymous friend had listened in to Rona talking over the weekend about flan being her favorite dessert -- and then delivered one in a pretty blue Pyrex pie plate that twins Rona's own. So - we had a mystery donor contributing to a bountiful dessert table, rich with tiny chocolate-frosted, cream-filled eclairs, and Pumpkin-Chocolate-Cranberry-Pecan-Pumpkin Seed COOKIES with Cinnamon frosting, below. On the coldest night for Cornbread Suppers so far this year -- temps around 20 degrees F., ice and snow crunching on Campsie and beyond -- people brought beautiful hearty stews, soups, and chili. Curried Carrot Soup w/Potatoes, dill, etc. Chicken broth Potato Soup Chicken Cacciatore

A good crowd came on a cold December night, and we ate heartily. Pinto beans cooked with a Kentucky ham hock, and multiple cornbreads with multiple add-ins - those were the basics. And then: Spring mix, strawberries, grapefruit, feta, walnuts, pomegranate, poppy seed dressing Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Bread w/Pecans Collards & butter nut: tiny bit spicy Beet fries Homemade cheese curds sautéed in a little homemade butter (all KY!), salt, parsley, vegetarian A loaded dessert table, beginning with the peanut butter fudge, above, and including homemade chocolate ice cream with peppermint crush,

It's officially Eggnog Time! Supreme Eggnogster and neighbor Mick Jeffries brought a festive bottle across the street, and the season officially began. Thank you, Mick!   The bounty of Seedleaf greens, mixed with the Clear The Campsie Garden greens meant a huge offering, on top of polenta with homemade feta. And yes, we benefited from post-Turkey-ism, too. This beautiful dark soup was one of two that brilliantly and wisely used the flavors of the big holiday meal to make new, tasty foods. This popular dish of roast root vegetables arrives most Mondays in this season, thanks to faithful Supperian David Elbon. Its usual life span after arrival: about 3.5 minutes. Good foods from November 29 that were noted on left-behind Food Description Slips: Autumn Potatoes: Red and purple potatoes, herb & garlic infused cream & Parmesan on top: Baked Goodness (amen) Sweet Bourbon Corn Pudding Turkey, Basmati, Carrots, Onions, Greens Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce Turkey Soup

Cornbread Supper regular (and recipe sleuth) Elise Mandel brought this sweet dish to Supper on November 29, 2010. Here's the recipe. Thank you, Elise! Yum! Preheat oven to 350 and butter an 8 x 8 baking dish. 2 large eggs 3/4 c evap. milk MIX together. ADD all the rest: 2 cups creamed corn (i just used one whole can) 2 cups corn kernels 2 TB melted butter 3 TB brown sugar 3 TB cornstarch mixed w/ 2TB bourbon l/2 tsp nutmeg dash ground white pepper (Cajun spice) Bake 45 - 48 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm.

With wonderful local milk, we sometimes make Butterscotch Pudding for Cornbread Suppers. David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at Chez Panisse and presently a cookbook author and food writer who lives in Paris (the one in France), developed and published  this Butterscotch Pudding recipe . You can cook the Lebovitz recipe just as printed and have good success. Here are ways we have tweaked it: 1. I have doubled and (almost unheard of) quintupled this recipe, cooking it in a slow cooker to avoid all the stirring. I do stir a lot, but I know it won't burn, at least. The end result is usually lumpy and weird in texture, and then it become silky smooth after I blend it for about 30 seconds (in batches) in my blender. Awesome. 2. As written, the recipe is unnecessarily sweet. Cut the brown sugar to a rounded 1/2 cup, and it seems wonderfully balanced. 3. For flavorings, lots of options. We have replaced the whiskey with vanilla. We have used two teaspoons each of Bourbon, dark rum,

It isn't all cornbread at Cornbread Suppers. People make excellent homemade breads, bring beautiful bakery loaves, and honor the wheat impulse in all manner of ways. With the mostly warm fall, our heritage rose (Rona's grandmother's polyanthus type, name unknown) keeps on supplying beauty for our gatherings. And about wheat -- semolina, in fact -- the arrival of friends from Lexington Pasta Company carrying a bounty of their signature fresh pasta typically causes an all-ages rush to the table. Things get hectic around the Cornbread Supper table at about 6:15 PM, as the crowd arrives, many bearing hot dishes and needing trivets and ladles and scoops and so on - so sometimes the bearers never get to the little slips of paper and pens to complete their little Food Description Slips. But your documentarian enjoys those that are completed and left behind, and also enjoys sharing them, usually verbatim, with you. From this week: Venison Chipotle Beans Chelb (Czech) P

Again. Two separate weeks' precious little Food Description Slips, dropped and commingled. Bad bad documentarian! So - one post for two weeks. Lots of people come to Cornbread Supper these days. On November 8, despite the date, perhaps 20 people sat on the front porch during Supper. Not so on chillier November 15, when people stayed indoors, filled all the chairs, some of the stairs, and sometimes sat in the floor, seeming to have a lively fine time no matter what. Certainly their hosts and documentarian are enjoying these fine groups. Foods have been hearty and beautiful. The cornbreads have been not quite bountiful enough, and that's about to change with a renewed commitment to Plenty of the Main Thing Going Forward. Looking backward one more time, here are the contents of the Food Description Slips, two weeks mixed together: Black Pepper-Parmesan Cornbread - vegetarian, no gluten Roasted local turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and sage; olive oil from

Festival del Dia de los Muertos, the awe-inspiring Day of the Dead celebration, takes place on Monday night this year. Since this grand event happens in and around Campsie Place, we will not have Cornbread Supper, but will join the festival. Here are some photos from the 2008 Festival that may be of interest,

It's still warm outside, and still possible to cook with fresh local foods, as some people do each week for Cornbread Supper -- but be assured that's not a requirement! Cornbread Suppers are easy potlucks, so whatever works for you will work for the meal -- including just coming with nothing at all, and joining the conviviality. Here's what the little hand made Food Identification Papers had to say after people left: "Bread" Salad: Tomato, Avocado, Peas, Corn, Artichoke, Balsamic, Garlic, Olive Oil, Basil, Feta, Mozzarella Local Turnips, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Mushrooms; Olive Oil from Oliva Bella; Exotic Rosemary, Salt & Pepper Chicken Soup: Spicy Potato Soup: Potatoes, Onion, Milk, Water, Salt, Butter, Rosemary Good Old Beans & Rice w/Parmesan Reggiano on top Manchego Cheese Tomato - Onion - Serrano Cornbread Custard, vegetarian, contains gluten Spinach Salad: Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Carrots Three

That's the Janice Kay Cornbread Muffins with Blueberries cooling before Cornbread Supper began this week. The big, fat, frozen Reed Valley Orchard blueberries went straight from freezer to oven, and it all worked out. They didn't lose their identities. As for the rest of us, we had a hard time not losing our heads in the face of amazing foods, including these: Local Farmers Market Lima Beans, Herbs, and Garlic Butter Cauliflower Curry w/Sweet Potatoes, Tomato, Garbanzo, Peanuts & Almonds, Coconut Milk Campsie & Henkle Heirloom Tomatoes w/Homemade Kentucky feta Multi-pepper Cornbread, vegetarian, no gluten Somewhat Loaded Brownies Roast Fall Veggies More desserts that didn't get named, but included a handmade upside down cake and a pumpkin mousse/caramel corn extravaganza for which we may, in time, get to post a recipe.

> Yourself. > Friends and family members. Then, and only then, if you have time, energy, and means, we invite you to contribute to the shared meal. > Food you make > Food you buy > Food you grow > Wine, juice, sparkling water All manner of foods come to cornbread supper, from blue-iced bakery cupcakes to home-cooked butterbeans from the cook's backyard. Bowls of fresh fruit. Simple salads. Meat dishes, and vegetarian ones, and vegan ones. Yes, and cornbread. We LOVE it when people bring their own cornbread and corn-based dishes. We have yet to see a cornbread at Cornbread Suppers that happy eaters failed to appreciate. So if you're inclined, bring your cornbread. Many diverse palates come to Cornbread Supper, and so many kinds of food and drink are offered and eaten. It's not all Slow Food or fancy food or homemade food -- though we adore and celebrate all those good things, of course. It's whatever you like and want to share.

Cornbread Suppers the last two weeks have been full and busy, with lots of newcomers. Your documentarian turned into a host and mostly forgot about photography, except for the Butternut Bisque, above, from October 4. We do have many of the food description slips plus some memories of foods with no slips for the two weeks, so we have a bit of a record of what people brought: October 11 Curried Sweet Potatoes (not spicy) Apple Chutney Mangoes w/lime, chili powder + honey Backyard Salad Orzo w/basil, mint, tomatoes + feta Fine Cooking Buttermilk Cornbread (vegetarian) Cooks Illustrated Southern Cornbread (vegetarian) Baked Pears (Gluten free, vegetarian): pears [urban fruit rescue!], walnuts, feta (cow), orange/pineapple/banana juice Baked Apples Chocolate Grahams with Chocolate Chevre (Bleugrass Chevre) Chocolate cookies October 4 Lasagna (with beef & pork) Cheese-y Red Pepper Cornbread (should be hot) vegetarian, no gluten Berea College Farm Lettuce & Tomato (

While your documentarian is remembering where the little slips of paper may be that people so kindly use each week to describe their dishes, and which frequently serve as our online record for that week, let us note two things. First, new people continue coming to Cornbread Supper, and we like so much that they do. Each week, as one frequent Supperian put it recently, is fun, and each week it's a different kind of fun. Some weeks feature 50 people, 15 of them under 4 feet tall, and other weeks feature 12 full-grown humans sitting in one large circle. All good. Second, last week something remarkable happened, something worth sharing. One of the hosts, Steve, had to leave for another commitment right as Supper began. As he headed out the front door, one of our young neighbors, perhaps six years old, saw him going and asked whether he should save some cornbread for Steve. Steve said "Yes," and kept going. Young neighbor set up a piece of cornbread on a plate, a glass of

Something about this early fall weekend and season inspired the creation of a groaning table of multi-color -- nearly fluorescent -- fresh vegetable dishes and bean dishes, all filled with color. The food was simply beautiful, and the wine table groaned in harmony. Black-eyed peas with Colonel Newsom's Country Ham bits (not vegetarian --- hardly) Deviled Elmwood Stock Farm eggs -- not sweet Vegetable Curry w/Tofu: Spicy Potato Soup Lasagna (with beef & pork) London Ferrell Garden Salsa -- spicy Non-vegetarian Black Beans...cooked with a small amount of bacon Egg Salad Spicy Chili Rolling Fork Farm Edamame with Sweet Corn, Ginger, Cilantro, Red Peppers Black Bean Salad Green Beans & Tomatoes & Basil & Olive Oil & Balsamic: Kentucky & Italy Tomato-Cornbread Tarte Tatin ; vegetarian, no gluten Apple Cornbread Tarte Tatin; vegetarian, no gluten

We had a smaller group than usual, excellent fun, plenty of kids, good weather, and a quite a few crumbs on the front porch when all was done. Custard Corn Bread: Slightly sweet, vegetarian, DOES have gluten Late summer chowdah with bacon and corn, not vegetarian Homemade vanilla ice cream Plum Crunch Rice pudding "Gonzo" Guacamole: avocado, onion, garlic, tomato, cumin, lime, jalapeño, corn, cilantro Pasta salad with olives (slightly spicy) Waldorf: Celery, apples, walnuts, mayo, sour cream, cinnamon, lemon, grapes, blue cheese Pasta w/squash, tomatoes & basil Butternut Squash & Oatmeal Cookie-pie Gumbo - "a little hot" - a Curtis Grace recipe Garden peppers, basil, tomatoes & onion

After the summer break, your Cornbread Supper documentarian lost her discipline, and the dreaded mushing together of the dish-description papers happened. We had awesome, huge Suppers through the late summer, on August 16, 23, and 30, and a fine smaller crowd on Labor Day evening, September 6. We have children and new people at every Supper these days, and both are so welcome, along with the regulars and the some-timers - we love all the different Supperians and their different modes. We have lots of pics and quite a few dish descriptions from all those meals. Here are some of them. Rice-Chickpea-Veggie Salad: No gluten, eggs, or dairy Homemade Pesto Whole Wheat Pasta: Rolling Fork Farm Basil & Squash Seriously spicy eggplant, basil, jalapeño "Caviar"; veg/vegan [sesame/soy] Vanilla Ice Cream (unpasteurized Kentucky milk & cream) Tabouleh with chickpeas Watermelon (Berea Farmers Market) Curry Lentil Apple Pasta Salad with Peppers Beet Salad Pinto Bean

Good heavens! What a wonderful crowd, complete with lots of people coming for the first time, and even several babies who are still going to brand new places for the First Time Ever. We served a Kentucky-Campsie iteration of this  Blackberry Herb Cocktail , and it seemed to win some fans. Along with... Steve's Mixed Beans with Penn's Old Style ham bits (sold by Silas Farm at LFM) Feta, walnuts, cukes, sesame dressing, peach, sorrel, tomato, avocado  Spicy Lentils & Rice Parmesan Black Pepper Cornbread, a spicy version and a mild version Kentucky Black Skillet Hot Water Cornbread Honey Kissed Carrots: Carrot from Three Springs Farm ; Honey from Abigail Tabouleh Local Beans, Tomatoes, Basil; olive oil & balsamic vinegar from Oliva Bella Raita (cucumbers, tomatoes, yogurt) Refrigerator Pickles Balsamic Tomatoes Tomato Feta Salad Kale Salad Refrigerator Pickles (Vidalia Onions) Chocolate Chip and Brownie Peanut Butter & Fudge Cookies Peanut Butter C

We made this cornbread for Cornbread Suppers a few times, inspired by a sweet remembrance and a delightful recipe in Mountain Promise , the newsletter of the Brushy Fork Institute in Berea, Kentucky . The cornbread is good. Then it turned out the recipe should have included an egg or two. We tried that - also good. Here is the recipe as originally printed. If you make this, with or without egg, you help build the truth that "Cam's cornbread lives on." Cam’s Cornbread First, you need a big iron skillet, well seasoned so it’s smooth as a baby’s butt and always carries a light sheen of oil. For best results, never wash your cast-iron skillet in detergent, which strips out the oil. Instead, scour it with paper towels and salt, then oil it. Next, you need the coarsest cornmeal you can get your hands on. It’s best if it has chunks as big or bigger around as a #2 pencil lead. That’s what gives it the crunch! Cam would have his meal ground by a local farmer and st

Raw Strawberry Shortcake Asiago Ravioli in Cream Sauce w/Lavender Salt & Pepper, Parmesan + Butter (Chicken Broth) Cukes & Onions Local Tomatoes & Green Beans & Basil; Italian Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Corn- Grilled, Black Beans, Garbanzo, Basil*, Tomatoes*, Lime!, pepper & salt, olive oil (*=Paige's backyard) Campsie beans w/vinaigrette Corn-y Cornbread (vegetarian): Corn, cottage cheese, onion, Parmesan Traditional Kentucky Black Skillet Cornbread Deep Dark Chocolate Dessert Pasta Salad

Parmesan-Black Pepper Cornbread, vegetarian, mild Parmesan-Black Pepper Cornbread, Extra Heat Tomato, cucumber, avocato, balsamic, red onion, olive oil; from the yard: pineapple sage, mint, marjoram, parsley, dill, basil The last of the 09 Campsie edamame (mixed black and green types) Campsise beans with mustard vinaigrette *Kale, *Turnips, *Garlic, tomato - a tiny bit from my back yard, Michigan cherries, pomegranate vinegar, *onion, black-eyed peas (*my back yard) 3 ages of Sapori d'Italia goat cheese: last week, 1 year, 2 years+ Scott Co. Beans & Tomatoes, Fayette Basil, Italian Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Made in the USA Penne with Garbanzos Beets, celery, onion in curry vinaigrette Modjeska - marshmallow and caramel Local plums Viburnum Valley Farm Confections gluten-free almond cookie Kentucky Traditional Black Skillet cornbread

Mexican Cornbread Campsie Gold of Bacau green beans (kissed by country ham broth) Endive, pears, and blue cheese Beet and Spinach Salad: walnuts, pecans, KY blue cheese Scott Co. Beans; Fayette sage; Italian olive oil & Balsamic vinegar; salt & pepper of unknown origin Jalapeño Potato Salad Backyard Apple Sauce "Classic" British Cabbage & Bacon Backyard Cabbage Slaw Sweet Pepper Relish Rhubarb-Ginger Soda (non-alcoholic) Kale from LFCG (ham broth), Campsie potato onions Cheese Polenta, vegetarian Ground cherries (peel the skin) Chelb Bread Joe and Elise's (Alcoholic) Brownies

Yes! Now Cornbread Suppers are showcasing even more of the vegetable and fruit bonus that Kentucky's beautiful climate and soils produce.  Green and yellow veggies, red and blue berries, green leafy things, and glorious world food too - chocolate in two iterations this night. Bounty on Campsie! We are grateful. Traditional Kentucky Black Skillet Cornbread - vegetarian, no gluten Unpasteurized homemade Kentucky butter Parmesan Black Pepper Cornbread - vegetarian, no gluten Spoonbread, vegetarian Homemade chocolate ice cream Global whipped cream w/cocoa, local raspberries Bourbon County Peas, Fayette County Tomatoes & Basil, Italian Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar White Corn and Black Bean Salad (mildly spicy) Campsie Yellow Beans (Ham broth) Kitchen Sink Salad (contains cheese & pumpkin seeds) Asian Salad: Mizuna Greens from Eden's Gate CSA, Blueberries from Reed Valley Orchard - picked today; Radishes from London Ferrell plot

First Monday after public school vacation started - or just hunger for cornbread? We don't know the tides that rise and fall in our friends' and neighbors' lives, causing large crowds on occasion. This great Cornbread Supper featured at least 11 youngsters, most of who went home enpurpled by direct engagement with the marvelous mulberry tree near the back yard. This edition of Cornbread Suppers features much good food, including a bounty of 48 deviled egg halves, not one of which enjoyed long-term survival. In addition: Cranberry Chicken & Brown Rice Slaw w/Vinaigrette Egg Salad and Bread (if you want to make a sandwich!) Bourbon County Asparagus; olive oil, salt, pepper Green Salad: Green beans, new potatoes, sweet onion, tomatoes, feta cheese, vinaigrette Greens pie Greek Ditalini Salad with Kalamata olives, Farmers Market tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh oregano, feta Grain Pilaf with almonds: vegetarian Basil Lemonade w/lime too 4 pepper - cottage cheese corn

The wonderful Susan Miller invited the hungry Cornbread Supperians to Miller Trust Farm, where she lives and operates Bleugrass Chevre , with the cooperation of some very appealing goat creatures. A big crowd filled the porch, and beautiful food filled a table. We have pics in process, and will add them and the total food list when we are all reconnected with the little slips of paper. A magical light shower fell at about 7 PM; children played on the lawn; hikes happened to the nearby creek; porch-sitting and conviviality brightened moods and lightened spirits. Many, many thanks to Susan, and to Abigail Keam , noted beekeeper, who brought copies of her new book, Death By a Honeybee , and read from it. It was a honey-sweet evening.

This meal included lovely fresh fruits and vegetables, along with exotic flavors of India and Mexico. Chicken Biryani Eggplant Curry (vegetarian) SLAW! Cabbage, garlic, cilantro, carrots Scott County Asparagus; olive oil, salt, pepper Campsie Green Garlic/Feta Cornbread, vegetarian, no gluten Traditional Kentucky Black Skillet Cornbread, veggie, no gluten Poblano Corn Pudding , vegetarian, contains gluten