Savor the Joy of Imperfection
Unlikely Lessons from a Savory-Sweet Cornbread Recipe
Ever wonder why some life lessons take so long to learn? For me, one of those lessons has been progress, not perfection.
When I was a kid, this was the time of year I should have been working hard, preparing my many 4-H fair projects for the Calhoun County Expo. Oh sure, I took care of my pigs daily, but some of my cooking entries and other fair projects always seemed to become last-minute, mad-dash scrambles.
As odd as it sounds, I wasn’t procrastinating because I was lazy. It was because I was afraid my work wouldn’t be good enough. If it wasn’t perfect, if I didn’t get a blue ribbon (or qualify for the Iowa State Fair), my efforts were wasted—or so I thought. Now mind you, my parents didn’t raise me to be a perfectionist. For some reason, though, I put all that ridiculous pressure on myself.
That’s why I was intrigued by a humorous story my friend David Tallman from Cherokee shared with me. A number of years ago, his mother encouraged him to enter a Taste of Home cooking contest sponsored by the Cherokee Times newspaper. The rules specified that each recipe had to include Dromedary dates. David wasn’t interested, but his mom persisted.
On a lark, he decided to doctor up a cornbread mix. In addition to following the directions on the box, he mixed in a can of chopped green chilies, an 8-ounce bag of shredded taco cheese and a box of chopped dates. Then he poured the batter into cast iron pans shaped like ears of corn.
He found an attractive wicker basket and lined it with corn-themed fabric and clear plastic wrap. He arranged a dozen date/cornbread sticks in the basket, along with individual packets of jelly and honey, and dropped his contest entry off at the local newspaper office.
“My dad was an administrative dietician, and he always said if your food is unappealing to the eye, no one will want to eat it,” David says. “I kept that in mind.”
Would you believe David won first prize? His award included a case of chopped Dromedary Dates and an imitation pewter, daily-bread-themed plate. “Even months later, women would congratulate me on my winning recipe,” he says. “Their husbands loved it whenever they made that date/cornbread.”
Ironically, some of the contest organizers seemed a little miffed that a man had won. No one bothered to take David’s photo for the newspaper—not until three days after the big event.
“I felt that since they didn’t bother to take my picture the day of the contest, the prizes didn't mean much to me—plus I’d made up the recipe as a prank anyway,” David says. “I gave the plate to my niece and nephew to encourage them to become good cooks. It worked! My nephew became a certified chef, and my niece is a fantastic home cook.”
An avid home cook myself, I knew I needed to try making date/cornbread sticks. My perfectionist tendency reared its ugly head, though. Oh no—the sticks weren’t releasing cleanly from the pan. Did I bake them long enough? Why am I such an incompetent person?
But then I took a bite and savored the wisdom of “progress, not perfection.” It’s amazing how chopped dates, taco cheese and chilies elevate boxed cornbread mix into a gourmet creation--even if cornbread didn’t look contest-worthy. As David would say, “Who knew it would actually taste so good!”
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Darcy— Enjoyed your column. Another cornbread variation is to substitute a small can of creamed corn for the milk in the boxed recipe and a small handful of pickled jalapeño peppers (diced). Baked in a cast-iron skillet (lightly greased with spray Pam). Great with a bowl of home made chili! Yum!
Love this!