Feast for a Fraction

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Homemade Cornbread Mix Recipe

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This homemade cornbread mix recipe makes the equivalent of 5 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. Keep some on hand for quick baking any time of day.

portioned bags of cornbread mix with title text "Homemade Cornbread Mix"

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Cornbread is a quick and easy side dish or bread option to go alongside chili or served with honey for breakfast. Those boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix make it so easy to dump and go, but what if you’re out or are looking for a more cost-effective way to cook at home? This homemade cornbread mix is a delicious Jiffy copycat recipe and costs just pennies per batch.

cornbread mix ingredients with text labeling each ingredient

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: You will want to use All-Purpose flour here, not Whole Wheat. However, if you are gluten-free, you can use an equal measurement of gluten-free flour as a substitute.

Cornmeal: For the cornmeal, you can use white or yellow. I recommend that you go for a small or medium grind on the cornmeal. If you use course-ground cornmeal it may be too gritty for your taste. The bag or container will state what kind of grind the cornmeal is.

Vegetable Shortening: I’m sure you’re wondering why we are using vegetable shortening rather than butter or vegetable oil. The reason is that vegetable shortening is a vegetarian shelf-stable option that is really affordable. It also makes for a very tender crumb when baking the cornbread or corn muffins.

Granulated Sugar: Regular granulated sugar will work perfectly.

Baking Powder: Make sure that you are using baking powder, not baking soda. You’ll find this in the baking aisle next to the flour.

Salt: Baking is one of the few times I really recommend using table salt. It is finer than sea salt and fully incorporates with the other dry ingredients.

cornbread mix ingredients in glass bowl

Equipment

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Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes (no draining required!)

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Whip up a batch of creamy mashed potatoes packed with rosemary garlic flavor in your Instant Pot. The best part is there is no draining required and they’re ready in under 30 minutes.

side view of purple bowl of instant pot mashed potatoes with butter and rosemary sprig with title text "Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes"

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I’m going to go out on a limb and say that mashed potatoes are the best side dish! I rarely make them, though, because peeling and boiling and mashing is such a hassle.

Enter the Instant Pot. Cooking the potatoes in the Instant Pot is essentially steaming the potatoes so we can get away with using A LOT less liquid. Just enough to not get a “burn” warning, really. The potatoes steam and then the extra liquid evaporates when we mash the potatoes.

overhead instant pot mashed potatoes on grey plate with brown gravy
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Classic Corn Casserole

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Corn Casserole is the quintessential side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas in my book, but it’s also an easy, super affordable side dish any time of year.

ingredients for corn casserole in a glass bowl with spoon with heading text "Classic Corn Casserole"

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Corn casserole, corn pudding and spoon bread are all possible names for the same dish – Whole Corn, Creamed Corn, Sour Cream, Butter, Eggs and Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

The variations, though, come in your extra additions or subtle differences in the combination of ingredients. If you ask anyone on my mom’s side of the family, Corn Casserole consists of whole corn, creamed corn, butter, eggs and crushed up saltine crackers. It’s a perfectly acceptable interpretation of corn casserole, but I very much prefer corn muffin mix to the saltine crackers.

Ask someone else and they’ll tell you that corn casserole should have chopped jalapenos and shredded cheese mixed in. Again, a perfectly delicious option.

That is the beauty of this dish. You have a basic, fool-proof recipe in which you can customize to your heart’s desire.

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Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice

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Instant Pot Brown Rice is one of the easiest beginner Instant Pot recipes because it is 2 ingredients and 15 minutes. Simply set and go!

brown rice in bowl with utensils

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Cooking brown rice doesn’t have to be a daunting, time-consuming task.  Instant Pot Brown Rice takes one-third of the time compared to cooking on the stove, and it is completely hands off.  You simply add the ingredients and let the pressure cooker do the work.

Instant Pot pressure cooker with glass measuring cup filled with brown rice sitting on wood cutting board

Brown Rice Meal Prep

I like to cook a large batch of brown rice at a time.  Each batch gets split up for several meals and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to three months.  To freeze rice, let it cool completely after cooking. 

Then, spread it in a thin layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a baking liner and freeze.  Once frozen, you can transfer the rice to a freezer bag.  Freezing in a thin layer prevents it from freezing in a solid block.

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How To: Slow Cooker Black Beans

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bowl of cooked black beans with ingredients

Slow Cooker Black Beans are the way to you when you are on a tight budget. Dried beans are one of the best choices for a healthy, filling meal whether your food budget it tight or not. A batch of cooked black beans costs pennies and have great flavor when you make them yourself. Of course, canned black beans are also affordable and great in a pinch.

Why Use a Slow Cooker?

Cooking beans in your slow cooker eliminates the need to soak them overnight. It is also nice that you do not have to babysit a pot on the stove. You literally combine all of the ingredients and let it cook for 6-8 hours on low.

When making black beans, I use a lot of aromatics to add a lot of flavor. I use my black beans for soups, chili and Mexican dishes so the aromatics lend themselves to the dishes. If you are looking to use your black beans for desserts (yes, this is totally a thing), you may want to omit everything but the salt.

This same process can be used for almost any dried bean or lentil. How will you use your Slow Cooker beans?

Yield: 6 cups

Slow Cooker Black Beans

bowl of cooked black beans and ingredients

Slow Cooker Black Beans are incredibly easy, affordable and delicious.  The bay leaves, onion and garlic impart amazing flavor.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Dried Black Beans, rinsed
  • Water, enough to cover by 2-3 inches
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 4 Garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 Red, Yellow or White onion, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Stir to combine.  Cook on low 6-8 hrs.  The black beans should be soft when done.  Remove the bay leaves after cooking.
  2. At this point, you can drain the black beans, but I like to reserve some of the liquid for Black Bean Soup or to serve over rice.
  3. Black beans will keep in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Notes

You can crush the garlic and cut the onion into quarters if you would like to remove them after cooking.  You will still get the flavor.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 391mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 6gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram and make sure to tag me @feastforafraction.

© Sarah
Cuisine: Vegetarian / Category: Sides

Similar Posts:

Classic Corn Casserole

Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice