Cheddar Cornbread

I was looking for something to make with my smoked pulled pork, and I thought cornbread was a good companion. My wife and I have made gluten free cornbread a few times but I couldn't find the recipe we used, so I just came up with my own. Both of us agreed that this was way better than the one we've been making. It came out super light and fluffy and was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

*1 & 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

*3/4 cup King Arthur gluten free pancake mix (you could substitute for gf flour blend)

*1 tbsp Baking Power

*1/2 tsp baking soda

*1 tsp salt

*1 tbsp light brown sugar

*1 tsp xantham gum

*1/4 cup shortening

*2/3 cup buttermilk

*2/3 cup milk (I used 1 percent)

*1 egg

*1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

*Kernels from ear of corn (optional)

Preparation:

-Mix all dry ingredients together

-With a hand mixer, incorporate shortening into dry ingredients

-Add the remaining wet ingredients

-Mix until smooth

-Add cheddar cheese and corn kernels and incorporate into mix (kernels should remain intact)

-Pour into a greased 9x9 dish

-Bake for 25-30 minutes (until toothpick test comes out smooth)

Optional:

-About five minutes before it was done cooking, I put some more shredded cheese on the top to form a light crust. This definitely enhances the cheddar flavor, which otherwise is pretty mild.