In the past, I had a recipe for Buttermilk Corn Muffins, but these corn cheddar muffins are made differently altogether. Both recipes are moist and tasty. The muffins can be altered to your own taste. I grew up on corn bread and corn muffins. The best and easiest corn muffins are the ones that usually sell at three packages for $1.00. You can’t beat that price. I always keep the packages in my house. There is nothing like waking up on a cold morning (in my house it is cold!) and having a warm oven on with the smell of corn muffins throughout the house. I try to make the mix the night before because if the muffin mix sits for a while, the muffins come out fluffy and lighter. Most homemade corn muffin recipes are dry and tasteless. If you do try a recipe from a cookbook, try to alter the recipe by adding a little bit more sugar and possibly a bit more shortening (butter, margarine or oil), as this may help the dryness and add to the flavor.

Whenever I make cornbread or muffins, I remember my Uncle Johnny. I grew up in a two-family house. My mom, dad, my grandmother (my father’s mother), my brother and I lived upstairs. My mother’s sister, Aunt Martha, Uncle Johnny and their three daughters lived downstairs. I had a very happy and special childhood living with all this extended family under one roof. We had all the holidays at our house filled with family and friends. In our back yard was a round gazebo covered with grapevines, with a table and wooden benches built inside. All of us would eat our dinner together in the gazebo during the summer. This house and attached special yard was located in the middle of Queens, New York, on a busy street. We had the Long Island railroad and three factories on this little city block. I never realized I lived in the middle of factory workers and rumbling trains every 10 minutes. I knew my family and life was good. That was back in 1968 and this is now. When dad passed away, mom and my aunt sold the house. My cousins, brother and I moved away. Mom lived alone, and my aunt and uncle had an apartment. I tried to recapture that extended family from my childhood by inviting everyone to my home for the holidays. For a few years we were all together, and it was as I remembered. My children had all the benefits of being surrounded by the whole family. As time went by, my aunt passed away, and then my uncle was alone. He would come for a visit and have lunch with my mother and another uncle. I always sent him home with some cornbread. Uncle Johnny loved it. It was just a small thing for me to do; to bake something for someone to take home. When Uncle Johnny went into a nursing home, I wanted to take some cornbread to him, but food was not allowed. I regret not taking it to him any way; some rules are made to be broken for the right reason. After that he passed away.

I still have my brother and cousins. They have their families and children and grandchildren. But I will always miss my house, my extended family and the times we had together.
It’s not where you live, it’s who you live with that makes a house a happy home!

Don’t forget the ones in your life that are getting older. A little bit goes a long way, so take time today to “bake someone happy” and you’ll be happy too!