Farm Girl's Pot of Soup with non-GF Cornbread

Not a complicated recipe; you've probably made something like this yourself.

Ingredients:

1 country style rib
1 medium onion
1/2 t sage
pinch marjoram
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t salt
several dashes pepper
2 ribs celery, sliced lengthwise and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes + 1 can water
several potatoes, peeled, cubed
several carrots, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other cooking oil

How To:

Heat EVOO in a large pot over medium heat.

Cut the country style rib lengthwise, then into small pieces.
Dice the onion. Toss meat and onion into the pot. Add salt and pepper.

Saute until brown and juices stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add 1/2 to 1 cup water and stir to loosen browned juices. Cook down.

Slice the celery ribs lengthwise once or twice, depending on their size, then dice.
Add celery to the pot after juice has cooked down. Simmer for a few minutes.
Once the liquid has cooked down (don't let it fry), add a can of diced tomatoes plus one can water. I happened to have Italian style tomatoes on hand, so that's what went in my pot. Now add the sage, marjoram, and thyme. Simmer about a half hour or so.
Peel potatoes and dice; slice carrots. I prefer baby carrots - more expensive, assuredly, but I can depend on consistent flavor. How disappointing to make a big Pot of Soup only to find that the carrots are bitter or pungent. Not for me!
Add potatoes and carrots to pot. Simmer until done, adding liquid as necessary to just cover veggies.
Seems to me the potatoes usually cook through before the carrots do. If you don't like crisp-tender 'rots, cook them in the pot for a bit before adding the potatoes.

Now! What to serve with? I love a pan of hot, crispy cornbread dripping in butter! Before you take a single step toward making cornbread, turn on the oven! Once the oven's-hot beeper goes off, wait another 10 minutes! Why? The oven's-hot beeper signals that the air temp in the oven in hot. It doesn't mean the walls, floor and ceiling of the oven are hot. For best baking, give the oven plenty of time to heat through! I usually start the oven heating when I start peeling potatoes.

Now, oven's hot, so stick your cast iron skillet inside. Piping hot cast iron is crucial in making cornbread.

I don't have any magical cornbread recipe. I use the directions right off the package of Bob's Red Mill medium grind whole cornmeal.
Once I have all the ingredients mixed, I leave it alone for five minutes. Why? I dunno. Alton Brown said so.

While you're waiting, now is a good time to add oil to your hot cast iron skillet. If you don't have a few tablespoons bacon grease, then olive oil will do.

This is also a good time to clean up the few dishes you've dirtied, along with those that have magically appeared in the sink throughout the day.
Five minutes later, pour that rested batter in to the hot, hot skillet! You can see it sizzle around the edges! Yummers!
By the time the cornbread is ready, the Pot of Soup is ready, too. Take a sample bite of soup and add any additional S&P as desired. Serve up soup and cornbread piping hot!
Got leftovers? If you have a silicone muffin pan, this is excellent for freezing soups and sauces. Mine holds about 1/3 cup per compartment. Spoon the soup into muffin cups and flash freeze. Transfer to freezer bags. Remove portions as needed for quick hot meals later on!