Mamacita's Cornbread Casserole

Funny story about this recipe. At the beginning of September, I went with my parents to visit my 99 year old grandmother at her three-story home in Northern New Jersey. As usual, my mother prepared an absolutely delicious meal to take to my grandmother and I prepared a delectable dessert (recipe to follow!). Grandparents day was the day after our visit, and I wanted to make my "Mamacita" something elegant and rich. Mamacita is a chocolate connoisseur and I knew that a chocolate-glazed chocolate tart would fit the bill perfectly. We called my grandmother Saturday morning to let her know about our visit (last minute in my family is always the way to go!). My father told her that we'd be bringing dinner and Mamacita promptly replied "I'll make a cornbread casserole." My father said "Mother, please don't. We're bringing dinner. We've prepared enough food." So, Mamacita replied "Ok then. I won't make another dish." The conversation ended and my father hung up the phone. I noticed my dad just standing by the phone after he had ended the conversation with his mother and I was quite perplexed. This was definitely not like my father to just hang out by the phone after hanging up with someone. I knew what he was going to do...he was going to pick that phone back up and call his mother and tell her that she should go ahead and make her cornbread casserole. And that's exactly what he did. And guess what? She was SO thrilled that he had called her back. She loves to make a dish that her son will like, and my dad knew how much pleasure it would bring his mother to bake something for him and his family. I loved those telephone exchanges that Saturday morning. :-)

When we arrived, I saw the delicious cornbread casserole sitting on the counter! It looked moist and delicious and I couldn't wait to sample a piece. We all sat down to dinner, said grace, and the serving and eating commenced. I served myself a square of this delectable dish and promptly sampled a piece and immediately knew that I needed to have this recipe. It was dense and moist and slightly sweet, which was not at all what I was expecting. It tasted nothing like cornbread and everything that you'd imagine a cornbread casserole would taste like. Right there at the dinner table, I asked my grandmother how she had made it, and she immediately began telling me all of the ingredients and measurements. Her mind is so sharp! After everyone at the table had enjoyed seconds of our dinner, I went to grab my phone to jot down the recipe that my grandmother had just given me. I was so excited to add this moist, delicious, cornbread casserole dish to my repertoire. I was elated! Just as I had finished typing the ingredients into my phone, Mamacita said "Sarah, come with me. I'll show you the recipe." She took me to the hallway off of the kitchen and she opened the top draw of a cabinet that she has and there was a small paper cookbook that had been well loved and she opened it to the cornbread casserole recipe page. With my phone still in my hand, I grabbed it and snapped a picture of the recipe. I was so happy that Mamacita has shown it to me! I quickly texted my sister, who promptly responded that she was going to make the dish that night because she was certain that she had all of the ingredients on hand. How's that for convenience? A recipe where you actually already have all of the ingredients in your pantry. I'd call that a winner! Well, without further ado...here's the recipe. Here's hoping that you, too, have all the ingredients in your pantry to make this tonight. I promise that you won't be disappointed. We served this with a chicken dish, but I've also served it with curried lentil soup and it was fantastic! I honestly have a hard time thinking of an entree that it wouldn't complement. Enjoy! :-)

Mamacita's Cornbread Casserole
from the kitchen of my dear mamacita 

Ingredients:
1 can corn
1 can creamed corn
1 box corn muffin mix
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a buttered 11" x 7" casserole dish. Bake at 400º for 25-30 minutes until top turns slightly golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

How easy is that?! I hope you'll try this recipe soon. It's perfect for a cool, Fall evening. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave as necessary. Happy baking!

xoxo