It is surprising what you might find, if you move a few things around on the shelves of your kitchen pantry. I did this a few days ago and found a can of triple succotash that I had purchased at least a month ago thinking I would come up with some new idea for using it.

Succotash is not a food that our family would normally consider serving. I don't know why not, because it contains three vegetables that we really like: lima beans, corn and tomatoes. Perhaps the name scares them away. I usually don't use brand names but with this ingredient, I have only found one company that makes it and it is sold under the name "Margaret Holmes."

It wasn't until I was going through some boxes of clipped and handwritten recipes that I found a good recipe for cornbread salad. Perhaps this would be a good way to use the succotash. Of course, I would need to find a few more ingredients before attempting a change to the original recipe.

I didn't have the pinto beans, but I found some Northern beans and decided to use those. Although the succotash has corn in it, I opted to add a can of whole kernel corn also. The original recipe called for a combination of mayonnaise and salsa to go over the top of the salad. You guessed it ... I didn't have any salsa so I substituted commercially prepared Ranch dressing.

We certainly can't forget the signature ingredient. I usually have some crumbled cornbread in my freezer but for some reason, I could not find any. Perhaps I used what I had on hand the last time I made chicken and cornbread dressing. I smiled when I read the recipe because it called for a "pone" of cornbread. Well, how much is that? Is the cornbread to be made in a seven inch skillet or a larger ten-inch skillet? I chose the 10-inch iron skillet and then measured the cornbread after it was crumbled. I had about five cups, but there would have been a little more if I had not decided to enjoy some of the crispy crust with butter.

Have you ever enjoyed a dish made with cornbread such as dressing or salad but when you tried the recipe, it never seemed to taste like the one you liked so much? More than likely the reason is the cornbread. Every cook seems to have his or her own recipe for cornbread so it stands to reason that unless the same cornbread recipe is used, the dish will not taste exactly the same.

This doesn't mean that it won't be good, but it just might not bring back that memorable taste. When I made cornbread to be used in the following salad, I chose not to use buttermilk because it has a tendency to sometimes give the salad a slightly bitter taste.

One thing is for certain. Cornbread salad is a versatile recipe. Just take a look in the kitchen pantry and make your own new version.

Succotash Cornbread Salad

5 cups crumbled cornbread
1 can (14.5 ounces) Margaret Holmes Triple Succotash, drained
1 can (11 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15.5 ounces) Northern beans
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1½ cups mayonnaise
1 cup Ranch dressing (ready made)
Shredded cheese of choice
Crisp bacon, crumbled (optional)

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour into a large rectangular casserole dish. (I used a 1½ quart oblong casserole dish and an 8-inch round dish for mine ... one for me and one to share). Combine the mayonnaise and Ranch dressing in a medium size bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon over top of salad. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover and refrigerate until time to serve. At that time, you can add the bacon on top, if desired.