The southern girl in me desires black eyed peas and cornbread every now and then. But sometimes you want it to be a little fancier than normal. I love this recipe because it reminds me of my great aunt Jessie Mae. She would make cornbread in a madeleine baking pan and it just made it seem a lot more special. I love the fact that the cornbread is nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside just gives you this individual bite of deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising white cornmeal mix
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together cornmeal mix, flour, and sugar in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk together just until blended. Spoon batter into lightly greased shiny madeleine pans, filling three-fourths full. Bake, in batches, 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately. Serve hot, or cool completely on wire racks

NOW BLACK EYED PEAS:

So instead of making black eyed peas the normal way. I decided to fry them. What I love about frying black-eyed peas is that you can incorporate peppers, onions and garlic in the dish and frying the ingredients bring out the flavor much more to me. You could also add carrots or chop at collard greens very finely and add them to the recipe as well.

I hope you enjoy this recipe just as much as my family does and always remember to set the table with love.

Fried Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

2 cans black-eyed peas
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 small red onion diced
1 medium red bell pepper dice

1 small poblano pepper, diced
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Drain and rinse black-eyed peas thoroughly. This important that the peas are completely drained. I would suggest pat them gently with a paper towel.

2. Heat skillet on low heat. Add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes. Add paprika and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Increase heat to medium. Add red onions, red peppers and poblano peppers and mix well.

4. Add black-eyed peas and fry until they have a nice crust on them, stirring occasionally to make sure all individual peas are touched by the infused oil.

5. Season as needed with salt, pepper, and more paprika. Stir. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh herbs of your choice. Serve with cornbread.