Southern Cornbread Salad

I have a confession to make: I can't stand Paula Deen. Oh, I'm sure she's a nice enough lady and I'd probably love her if she were my neighbor, but listening to all those fakey "y'alls" is enough to make my skin crawl. And this is me - the person who absolutely loves listening to friends and family drawl out words with a southern accent. Paula is, however, ridiculous. When I listen to her add a "y'all" in between about every third word of what she says, I think of my brother Greg, after he got out of the Navy. It seems he learned to swear while he was off to far-flung places, defending the American way of life.  (I suppose I should say he perfected his swearing since, heaven knows, he could curse with the best of them even before enlisting in the military.) Post-Navy Greg felt a need to drop the "F" bomb rather liberally as he spoke. You get the picture - about every third word he spoke was that particular curse. Didn't matter if it fit grammatically or logically, he apparently had a need to utter an expletive about six times per sentence. Kinda like Paula. Honestly, I'm not sure I could pick which word annoyed/annoys me more!

Notwithstanding my dislike of Paula's fake sounding accent and overuse of the "Y" bomb, I do like this recipe. I served it for a small group meeting a few months ago and received lots of rave reviews. All the components together create just the right amount of crunch and sweet versus tang to make each spoonful sing. You take a bite of this salad and feel the essence of summer and all things yummy.

(UPDATE: In light of recent news revelations, I feel vindicated. Turns out Paula's not so nice, after all.)

Southern Cornbread Salad
Courtesy of Pauladeen.com

1 batch of cornbread, cut into 1 inch cubes (recipe follows for the cornbread)
1 (14.5 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can niblet corn, drained (I used fresh corn, cut from the cob)
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz.) bottle ranch dressing
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Cornbread:
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 1/4 cup for greasing pan
1 cup self-rising cornmeal (if you can't find self-rising cornmeal, the internet has directions on how to make your own. That's what I had to do.)
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 cup cream style corn
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese, optional
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:

In the bottom of a large glass bowl, place cornbread cubes. Layer beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and cheese on top of cornbread. Spread ranch dressing evenly over cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Directions for Cornbread:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Generously season a cast iron skillet with up to 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Preheat the pan either in the oven or on the stove over medium-high heat.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Pour batter into the preheated cast iron skillet. Place skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

(My bowl was a little small. I'm sure the layers would look nicer in a bigger trifle bowl.)