cOrN bReAd SaLaD

You know when someone tells you to try something, and you think, "Now that's just crazy! It sounds stupid, and I don't do stupid things." I thought that exact thing when I first saw Dick put ketchup in his mac & cheese. But then when I tried it, I realized that it tasted just like dipping a grilled cheese sandwich in ketchup, which I love to do! Well, that thought might go through your head when you think of putting corn bread in your salad instead of just having it on the side, but once you try it you'll be thinking, "Mmmmmmm...ok, ok, now I get it!" This salad is perfect, or at least I think so. And I'm pretty sure my sis-in-law thinks so, too, because she wasn't going to eat with us tonight - she was going to go on a date with her BF - but then she had a bite of Dick's salad and she called her boytoy to tell him they were eating dinner here. Told ya. Yup, that's what I thought. And the great thing about this salad, just like pretty much any other salad, is that you can add or take out any ingredient you want. I love that about salads! It's also an awesome option if you're wanting something filling, but not super heavy. I've seen chicken put in it, and you can do that if you absolutely love chicken, or if you just need to stretch it to feed a lot of people, but it's totally not necessary. The beans and bread fill ya right up. So, go ahead and think I'm crazy. But then make the salad so we can be food-friends again, ok?!

Corn Bread Salad

From lots of places - seen it done here and there.

Ingredients

1 10 oz. bag Salad greens (I used spinach, but like it with Romaine, too)

Corn Bread (recipe follows)

1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 1/2 c. baby carrots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Ranch dressing

Directions

1. pile a 1-2 cups greens in your bowl.

2. Cut a square of corn bread into smaller pieces and top your greens with them.

3. spoon some kidney beans and carrots on top.

4. Sprinkle with cheese and top with dressing, if desired.

5. dig in!

Corn Bread

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Bridal Edition Cookbook

Ingredients

1 c. milk (I used skim)

1/4 c. margarine, melted

1 large egg

1 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

1 c. all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. corn kernels (I used canned, drained)

Directions

1. heat oven to 400; grease bottom and sides of 9x1.5 inch square pan.

2. beat milk, margarine, & egg in a large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Then add corn kernels. Pour into pan.

3. Bake 20-25 min. or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.