Quick and Easy Cornbread — The Hush Puppies Tamika Made While Planning Everything

The Set the Table idea won't leave me alone. It sits in the back of my mind like a song you can't stop humming. I mentioned it to Pastor Williams after service on Sunday — just a sketch, not a proposal — and he said, "When do you want to start?" I said, "I was thinking maybe the spring." He said, "Why not September?" And I thought: why not September? The church has a kitchen. I have recipes. There are girls in my school, in my caseload, who have never been taught to feed themselves, who come from homes where dinner is whatever's fast and cheap and eaten standing up. Why wait?

I went home and wrote a plan in the composition notebook. Saturday mornings. Two hours. Start with six girls — I have six in mind already, girls from my school and the church youth group who I know need this. We'll cook simple things first — scrambled eggs, rice, basic vegetables. Then we'll build. Not just cooking — life skills. How to budget for groceries. How to set a table. How to sit down with people and eat like the meal matters. Because it does matter. Brenda taught me that every meal is an act of love, and these girls need to know that their own meals — made with their own hands, in their own kitchens — count.

I called Mama and told her about it. She was quiet for a long time, and then she said, "Your grandmother Ernestine used to say that a woman who can feed herself will never be helpless." I hadn't heard that before. I wrote it in the notebook. Then Mama said, "I want to come to the first one." I said, "Mama, you don't have to—" She said, "I want to." So she will. Brenda Jackson will be at the first Set the Table class, in the church kitchen, teaching girls she's never met how to season by feel, because that is who my mother is. Sick or not. Tired or not. She shows up.

Marcus is settling into middle school. The Jaylen situation resolved itself — they're not friends, but they're not enemies, which in middle school is a peace treaty. He's found the library and has been reading books about psychology, which he doesn't tell me about but I know because the librarian (Mrs. Foster, who is a treasure) mentioned it casually. He's curious about why people do what they do. I see myself in that curiosity and it takes my breath away.

Cooking this week was simple because my brain was full of Set the Table planning. Spaghetti Monday. Tacos Tuesday. Sheet pan chicken Wednesday. Leftover shuffle Thursday and Friday. But Saturday I made Mama's fried catfish — crispy cornmeal crust, cast iron skillet, oil popping — because some cooking is nourishment and some cooking is sacrament and fried catfish is the latter. I ate it with coleslaw and hush puppies and thought about the Saturday mornings to come, standing in a church kitchen with six girls who don't know yet that cooking is power. I can't wait to show them.

The hush puppies that Saturday weren’t an afterthought—they were the whole point, golden and hot from the same cast iron I’ll be teaching those girls to use. Something about that meal felt like a rehearsal, a quiet practice run for the Saturday mornings ahead, and the hush puppies were the part I kept coming back to in my mind: humble ingredients, a little heat, and a result that makes people close their eyes when they eat it. That’s the lesson I want to teach. Here’s the recipe I’ll be sharing with them.

Quick & Easy Southern Hush Puppies

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 6 (about 18 hush puppies)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup small-diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions (optional)
• Vegetable oil or shortening, for frying (about 2 inches deep)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 365°F. A small drop of batter should sizzle and float immediately.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and sugar until evenly combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Add the beaten egg, buttermilk, and diced onion (and scallions if using) to the dry ingredients. Stir just until a thick, cohesive batter forms. Do not overmix. The batter should hold its shape when scooped.
4. Fry in batches. Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, drop rounded tablespoons of batter carefully into the hot oil. Work in batches of 5–6 so the oil temperature stays consistent. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown on all sides.
5. Drain and season. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. Serve immediately. Hush puppies are best hot from the skillet, served alongside fried catfish and coleslaw. They lose their crispness as they cool, so bring them straight to the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 410mg