It’s summer travelin’ season. What I love about family road trips are the stops at the local restaurants. Sure, there are all the standard fast food fair to choose from, but what if you plot your trip so that you visit a couple of the back road diners? One of my dear friends did this last summer. She and her daughter traveled from South Florida to New Orleans, and visited restaurants that are off the beaten path as they drove. The idea is to make the drive your trip. It’s not about how you arrive… it’s about where you drive.
Those of you with young children, need not think about this version of a summer vacation until they are much older! However us retired folk, with the time to spend with a family member or two (even if it’s just a couple of close friends), may be interested in using vacation to see all the local shops and outdoor venues – and using these to inform our dining experiences!
This recipe is one that is inspired by a trip we took a couple of years ago. Four good pals and I drove from the mountains of North Carolina to the big city of Atlanta. We stopped at a local mom and pop diner for a late breakfast. Cornbread and soft-swirled cinnamon butter were on the menu. We ordered it to go, with hash and poached eggs. It was delish!
It’s a perfect make-ahead dish for your next overnight camping trip. If you like, you can spice it up with the addition of diced jalapeno pepper, a handful of cheddar cheese, and a dash of chili powder in the batter. Scallions, cooked bacon and molasses are equally FUN additions. However, you spike your cornbread, don’t you dare forget to slather it with this decadent cinnamon flavored butter!
Whatever your travel plans are for this summer… remember to be safe, create memories and stop to smell the bacon!
Corn Bread with Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter
Servings: 6 to 8
30 minute cuisine
For cornbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (1/2 stick)
For butter:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
¼ cup honey
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 400 °. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Whisk together the buttermilk and eggs in a separate bowl. Stir in the butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the cornbread is golden on the top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Place the softened butter, honey, confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Transfer the butter to a small bowl.
While the cornbread is still warm, slather the top with cinnamon butter. Serve wedges of cornbread with additional butter on the side.
