With cooler temperatures forecasted and heated battles raging in swing states, Nov. 6, 2012 is a chili kind of day. Put the pot on first thing Tuesday morning and head to the polls. As election results come in Tuesday evening, serve it with Mayor Gilbert’s cornbread.
For the cracker-and-chili and corn chip-and-chili fans out there, go ahead, serve corn chips and crackers as accompaniments, along with cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and hot sauce. But try the mayor’s cornbread recipe; it’s a winning chili combo in any state.
This fast, easy recipe is especially handy if you’re out of eggs or pressed for time. Pair it with pinto beans and ham, fish or hearty soups; we like to save a little for the end of the meal and drizzle it with cane or sorghum syrup. So good any way you slice it.

Mayor’s Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 cup White Lily Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
Buttermilk
Olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat enough olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet to cover the bottom, about one-eighth of an inch deep.
Add buttermilk to cornmeal mix, in a mixing bowl, until you reach the consistency of cake batter.
When the oil sizzles with a test drop of batter, use a serving spoon to drop the batter in the oil (using a spoon makes it easy to break the baked cornbread into serving pieces by hand). Drop spoonfuls around outer edge of the skillet and fill the center as needed. Let the batter remain on the heat for a minute–careful not to burn it–before placing it in the oven.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Check it at 15 minutes to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn.
Remove from oven and loosen the cornbread with a knife and spatula; turn out on a serving dish. The cornbread should be thin and crispy.

Best of the Best
Websites:
Curing and caring for a cornbread skillet, bellsouthpwp.net/e/j/ejlinton/cornbread/cornbread.html
Lodge Manufacturing, http://www.lodgemfg.com; you’ll find cornbread cookbooks and Lodge Cast Iron use and care info.
Of Interest: Pittsburg, Tenn., hosts an annual National Cornbread Festival co-sponsored by Martha White and Lodge Cast Iron, the second full weekend in April.
Random Tip: Use your sterling flatware daily; what are you waiting for?

Cathy Best discovers new things daily. Contact her to share local resources, books, blogs, Web sites and apps you’ve discovered: bestdiscovery@aol.com.

Printed in the November 1, 2012 edition.