I’ve long been enamored by the quaint Chinese legend called the “Red Thread of Fate.”  According to the myth, the matchmaker god, Yuè Lǎo, ties an invisible red thread around the left little finger of couples who are destined for one another, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical string may stretch or tangle, but never, ever breaks.

I sometimes imagine my red thread tied to my own Fate, a lifetime away from me – a tangled web of knots dotting this thin cord between us, this frayed thread snagging on craggy rocks and endlessly entangled around gnarled tree trunks, as we go about our separate lives.  My Fate, entwined into a snarled mess.  Sometimes, this thread tugs away from me so fiercely, so determinedly, my pinky dislocates from the effort.

I find comfort, as always, in a poultice of butter, flour and sugar. This is my go-to cornbread recipe, adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and definitely on the sweeter side of the sweet vs. savory cornbread spectrum. If you like moist, sweet cornbread, this is the one – perfect paired with a bowl of smoky chili.

Cornbread Mini-Muffins

• Servings: 36 mini-muffins
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If you like moist, sweet cornbread muffins, these are the ones for you.

Ingredients

• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add oil, butter, eggs and milk. Stir until just combined. Pour into mini-muffin tins and bake 12-15 minutes until just brown around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean. Gently remove muffins from tin. The recipe can also be made in a 8×8” square pan baked for 35 minutes.