MAMA JOE'S CORNBREAD

Mama Joe is my maternal grandmother, and I was raised in her home and was the youngest of all of her grandchildren. Her kitchen was the center of our universe and my love of cooking sprang from what I believe to have been that sacred space. The majority of the cooking was done on an old-timey wood-fired stove. She had an electric stove, but preferred the wood one. Some of the most precious memories of my life were made in that kitchen. One of the most memorable was her cornbread. I inherited her cast iron skillets. To this day I have never made my cornbread in anything else.
1 stick butter
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place butter in 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place in oven just until butter melts. While butter is melting, mix remaining ingredients together, just until blended. Add all of butter but about 2 tablespoons to batter. Pour in to pan and return to oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until top of cake is golden in color.
COOKS NOTE: I have won 8 blue ribbons with this cornbread recipe. It is sweet and has a cake like consistency.