Cornbread Casserole (Southern Living 1981)

 

This time I was going to do better. I was sure I had everything I need to make this according to the directions above. (Okay...with one exception. Do I really need to say I had ZERO intentions of including olives? Yuck-o-rama.)

However, I was wrong.

Well..I was kind of right. I did have everything I needed, but my cornmeal was expired. I didn't want any kind of part of expired cornmeal, so I had to drop back and punt. Guess what I did have!?!

Corn muffin mix! Hooray! All problems solved!

Let's get to it.

  

I thawed out the ground beef and added in newly sauteed onions. Someone tell me why I pre-brown the ground beef but freeze raw chopped onion. 

The ground beef and onion mixture includes corn, a can of tomato soup (undiluted), and some pepper. I skipped the green pepper, but that was by design.  I also skipped the salt. I find it better and easier to add salt later. Isn't a can of tomato soup already pretty salty? I didn't think it needed any additional salt.

I had a package of sweet cornbread mix and buttermilk cornbread mix. I decided to use both mixes together. So into the mix went water, milk, and an egg. I just followed the package directions for each.

 

The mixture in the pan before pouring the cornbread mix on top. 

Now. Y'all. Get. Yourselves. Ready.

Action.

Shot.

 

Epic. 

Now we're ready for the oven.  

  

And then, as is my custom, I neglected to take a shot of the finished product out of the oven. So you get a picture of my lunch leftovers.  

I liked it...but only 1/5 of the family did. The Hubs said he wanted them separate so he could put butter on the cornbread. I suggested he put it on the casserole and for some reason he did not like the suggestion. Noted. The boys didn't like it (of course). Junior slathered it with barbeque sauce and declared that it was "either or" which means "take it or leave it". J-Boy said multiple times "this is disgusting". 

I would make it again...but...I'm not sure what to change. Maybe less cornbread, maybe no cornbread, maybe mixed together...maybe with barbeque sauce instead of tomato soup....maybe with cheese? 

Here's hoping the next one is a hit!

~Audry