Mildred Booth's Spoon Biscuits and Cornbread

This holiday season, we're giving you recipes from community leaders and Patch contributors each day leading up to Christmas. These delicious recipes range from appetizers to desserts. These recipes are sure to bring new life to your holiday dinner menu.

Today's recipe comes to us courtesy of Patch contributor and Mount Vernon resident Glenda Booth. She shares her mother's recipes for spoon biscuits and cornbread, which were published in the Vinton Messenger in the early 1970's.

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These recipes, from my mother, Mildred Simmons Booth, were published in 1972 in the Vinton Messenger, the weekly newspaper of the Virginia town where I grew up.  The newspaper headline was, "Simple Breads Handy for Quick Gifts," a fitting headline because my mother had a generous, caring spirit and often took food to other people, such as "shut-ins," as we then called people confined to their home, to families who had lost a loved one or to someone who was sick.

The Vinton Messenger featured her as cook of the week, reporting, "She is known as a good neighbor who does things in the community in a quiet, unassuming manner." In addition, "This summer, Mrs. Booth was able to can and freeze an assortment of vegetables from the family garden, including lima beans, green beans and corn."

About her recipes, the newspaper quoted her as saying, "They are so simple. All you need is a bowl and a spoon." My family has enjoyed this extra special cornbread recipe many times over the years, especially with chili, both meat-based and vegetarian.

Mildred Booth's Cornbread

Mix together:

1 cup self-rising cornmeal (she recommended Martha White)

1 cup sour cream

2-3 tablespoons of oil

2 eggs

1 small can of cream-style corn

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes in a well-greased pan or skillet.

Mildred Booth's Spoon Biscuits

Mix together:

2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Coming tomorrow: Del. Scott Surovell's favorite salsa recipe.

If you have a recipe you'd like to share with Patch readers, send it to jessie.biele@patch.com.