Nothing says summer quite like a picnic or pool party, and nothing is better than party food that as quick as it is yummy! However, I can’t wrap my head around picnics of simple cold-cut sandwiches and chips.

Growing up, there was always one dish that was guaranteed a place on every picnic and summer party table…my Granny’s cornbread salad.  Let’s face it, cornbread is not your typical “salad” ingredient, and it’s not usually on a picnic menu, but seriously…it should be!  It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s packed with flavor.

The Cornbread

My Granny, like many southern grandmothers, can make cornbread and biscuits (from scratch) in her sleep (and without a recipe), but for this salad, a shortcut box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix is the best way to go!

The Bacon

Now, I’m not one to go against anything that my granny says, and I realize that her methods are tried and true, but when I can find an easier way to do something and get the same results, I jump on it.

This cornbread salad requires half a pound of crispy fried bacon, that’s been cooled and crumbled.  My granny, of course, fries her bacon in her trusty cast iron skillet, but for me, that just ain’t gonna happen.  No, my bacon is thicker cut and always fried in the oven…no mess, no splatters, no grease speckled shirts, no burns, no problem.  I simply place a single layer of bacon (thicker cut) in a cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) and bake it at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until it’s crisp.  Recently, I showed Granny my bacon technique, and I think she was impressed, even though she’ll probably never convert (lol!).

The Dressing

As weird as this is going to sound, the dressing for this salad is merely mayonnaise and sweet pickle juice. I realize that mayonnaise is a scary ingredient in picnic foods, so I like to make the dressing in a mason jar, keep it chilled until I’m ready to serve, and then drizzle it over at the last minute.

The Salad

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Farm-to-Table Dinner: Southern Cornbread Salad

Ingredients

• 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix prepared according to package directions with one egg & 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 lb thick cut bacon fried (or baked) crisp and roughly chopped (reserve bacon grease)
• 2-15 oz. cans pinto beans that have been drained and rinsed
• 1 c. chopped sweet onion
• 2 c. chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/4 c. sweet pickle juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Bake cornbread according to package directions, allow it to cool, and crumble to a rough bread crumb consistency.  Likewise, fry or bake bacon until it is crisp, remove from pan to drain and cool, and chop into small pieces.  Reserve the bacon grease.
2. Place crumbled cornbread in the bottom of a large salad platter or 13×9 casserole. Drizzle the cornbread with no more than a tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease. Then, layer with pinto beans followed by chopped onion and chopped tomatoes.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to party.
3. In a jar, combine mayonnaise, sweet pickle juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Shake to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped bacon and drizzle with salad dressing.

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