Food on Friday...Of Facebook, Bacon Grease, and "Good Cornbread"

I keep intending to participate in Ann Kroeker's Food on Friday, but somehow Fridays always get really busy and I don't get that far. Even today, I thought I would be blogging early this morning, and here it is bedtime and I'm just now beginning to type. But I do have a few minutes and some food-ish thoughts to post, so maybe I'll actually make it today. :)

This post was actually motivated by a friend. We were discussing recipes the other day, and she said, "You need to do a recipe post on your blog." So...here it is...a recipe post. :) The only problem is, I know that at the time we were discussing *several* recipes, but I can only remember *one* of them. I'll have to ask her tomorrow and possibly amend this. :)

I love Facebook. (I know, you thought we were talking about recipes, and food. Trust me, we are...keep reading. :)) I know there can be lots of drawbacks and time wasters, and I'm not into much in the way of games and apps (other than the occasional Flair kick, and a brief addiction to Scramble early on :)), but it has been a neat way to get re-connected with old friends, and useful in various other ways as well.

Case in point. The other day a friend and I were talking about cornbread. Actually, I think we started out talking about bacon grease. (Don't ask. :) I'm pretty sure that conversation was motivated by Pioneer Woman, so it's okay. Really.) *ANYWAY*...I was telling her about my favorite cornbread recipe. I got it *years* ago from our friend Diane in Conway. It is the best. cornbread. ever! And it all starts with a hunk of bacon grease. I was going to send the recipe to my friend, and then realized...I couldn't find it. Major crisis. Not a good thing to lose the best. cornbread. recipe. ever! And I had been so proud of myself because I had kept up with the original recipe card, labeled "Good Cornbread" (in Diane's handwriting, no less) all these years. And now it was gone.

BUT...fortunately, before I completely panicked, I realized, "I can send Diane a message on Facebook and ask her to send me the recipe." Which I did. And she did. And all is well and I can make cornbread again (just as soon as I cook some bacon for breakfast in the morning so I have a hunk of bacon grease :)).

Diane happened to mention that she had gotten this recipe from a friend when she got married, and that friend had called her a year or so ago and asked her for it, because she had misplaced it herself. :) Which is another reason for this post...perhaps we can keep up with it here. :)

1 c. cornmeal,

1/2 t. soda,

1/2 t. salt,

1 T. sugar,

1 cup buttermilk.

Sift dry ingredients together

(she doesn't, and neither do I :)). Beat one egg and mix with buttermilk. Add to dry

ingredients just before putting in oven as they will rise in the bowl if prepared too far in

advance. In your pan, put a hunk of bacon grease. Heat

oven to 450 degrees, and keep pan in there until grease is smoking. Bake about 20

minutes. Makes an 8 inch round skillet of cornbread.

Speaking of bacon grease, my friend J. and I had been talking about how and in what to store bacon grease. She ran across the cutest little Ball jelly jars the other day that were just perfect, and she brought me one! Isn't it cute? I can't wait to cook bacon now. :)

For more Food on Friday posts, visit Ann Kroeker.

ETA: A friend messaged me to give this caution...learned *after* she had to go get stitches in her hand once upon a time (Ack!)...let the bacon grease cool a bit before transferring to a glass jar. Thanks, JS! :)