cornbread

Chili Topped Cornbread Waffles

July 8, 2015

Ugh, technology kills me at times. It really does.

As soon as I walk up to our IT guys I just apologize. I usually come bug them with a silly problem, which, thankfully, can be fixed quickly. But it feels so silly bugging them about it. Like I couldn’t get into a program last week and I went over to one of the guys asking for help. I sit back down and go to open the program and say ‘I’ve tried it open this like 4 times and it won’t and I keep getting a pop up…’ and that was when it opened up perfectly. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Typical.

I had a moment at home like that, which is exactly why this post is getting posted a week later than I planned! Bummer! I was getting warnings when I was trying to download the pictures off my SD card to edit them about copying them without properties. WHAT? Well, it still seemed to work as I could download them and edit them in. But then they won’t upload to WordPress. And I was literally trying to do this as I was packing up the car last week to go to Maine. After swearing like a sailor, I shut the laptop, swore some more, and just had to blow off posting last week for #WaffleWednesday. So annoying!!!!!!!

And guess what, I open up wordpress again to mess around with the post when we get back and all the photos I tried to load in where in. Just magically appearing now. Sigh…

Anyway, this is the closest I get to making a 30 minute meal.

I am no Rachel Ray. I really admire her idea of 30 minute meals and how she (and her team) have created some wonderful 30 minute meals. I’ve tried plenty. There are some that I can totally do in 30 minutes and then there are others that take 35-40 minutes. Sometimes I’m just slow.

But with this dinner you I bet you can whip it up in about 30 minutes. I swear!

Start off by preheating your waffle iron. The veggies are quick to chop and then you just dump in the a pot to soften. Add the meat to brown. Between breaking it up and it browning, mix the cornbread batter together and start to make the cornbread waffles. While they are baking up continue on with the chili by smooshing the chili to a side and cooking the tomato paste for minute. Then dump in the beans, canned tomatoes, and spices to wrap it up and let it do its thing until you are done making your cornbread waffles. Done and done!

The best thing about this is how the waffle iron makes the cornbread have a nice crisp texture. It’s like how the best part of lasagna is the crunchy edge pieces. The crisp cornbread texture is right on the money!

And the second best thing is smothering that waffle with quick, delicious chili. Such a good dinner.

Chili Topped Cornbread Waffles

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Chili

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
approximately 20 ounces of ground beef
1 heaping Tablespoon tomato paste
1 – 15.5 ounce can of black beans
1 – 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
salt and pepper

For the Cornbread Waffles

1 11.5 box of Southern Cornbread Mix from Krusteaz
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 Cup butter, melted

Optional Chili Toppings

Salsa, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, diced avocado

Process

Preheat your waffle iron. Mix the ingredients for the cornbread waffles together. Begin to make the waffles, continue while making the chili. When done place on a cooling rack in a warm oven (200-ish degrees) oven.
In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, and onions are lighter in color.
Add the ground beef. Break into small pieces while stirring.
When the majority of the beef had browned and it’s in small pieces, push over to 1 side. Add the tomato paste of the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1 minute to brown the tomato paste (this process helps enhance the flavor!)
Pour in the beans and diced tomatoes and add the spices and continue to simmer until you are done making your waffles.

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While I received product from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

November 15, 2013

On Wednesday I shared with you some awesome cornbread muffins that I saw featured just last week on Baked By Rachel and just had to make. Let’s call it a craving. They make for a great breakfast, snack, or side for dinner. I just love how cornbread is so versatile like that.

Well, now I’m back with another awesome recipe from Rachel that uses those cornbread muffins as a great base for a side that will grace your Thanksgiving table. You start with the cornbread muffins, or some store brought cornbread, and add some more great flavors to make kick ass Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing. Really, it kicks ass.

But I guess it’s obvious for it to be a great stuffing recipe when you start with cornbread and then add in sausage, sauteed veggies, dried cranberries, and other great aromatics.

I used a plain breakfast sausage for this recipe as I don’t love Italian sausage… shhh don’t tell my Italian relatives! I just don’t like fennel that much!! But if you enjoy Italian sausage then I say feel free to use that just like in Rachel’s recipe. Just be sure to use a sausage that has been removed from its casing.

But now I have a question…

Do you call it stuffing even if you don’t put it in the bird?

I do. I guess it will always be stuffing to me just because that it what I’ve always called it so I associate the food itself more with the name than if it’s actually being stuffed into something.

I hope that you’ll give this Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (or dressing… depending on what you call it!) a try since it is sure to be a big hit at your Thanksgiving table!

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing_00

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

5-6 cups cornbread broken into chunks (or 9 muffins)
1/2 lb plain breakfast sausage, like Jimmy Dean’s regular sausage
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Process

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Create a single layer of the crumbled cornbread on a large baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until nearly crisp. (drying the cornbread out helps it hold it’s shape/texture)
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces while cooking. Transfer sausage to a large bowl reserving some fat in the skillet.
In same skillet, cook onion and celery with seasonings until the vegetables are tender and nearly translucent. Add the sausage back in. Add the dried cranberries and cornbread, toss to blend the ingredients together. Pour broth over mixture, toss again to combine well.
Transfer the mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and the top is crisp. Serve immediately.

Slightly adapted from Baked by Rachel

Cornbread Muffins

November 13, 2013

Wanna hear a pretty obvious statement?

I’m pretty hungry all the time now. I know… hungry at 9 months pregnant.?!?! Big shocker here.

But really, I am the most hungry for breakfast so I think about cereal, bagels, waffles, muffins, and yogurt. No, not having 1 of those things… but eating all of it. A huge pile of it. A bucket of it. Whatever.

And lately, I’ve been thinking of carby goodness in the form of muffins. Pumpkin Muffins. Chocolate Chip Muffins. Blueberry Muffins. Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Donut Muffins. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins. Corn Muffins. <<<< I’m having that Forest Gump shrimp moment when it comes to thinking about muffins.

So that is why I jumped when I saw these cornbread muffins on Baked by Rachel. She just made them last week and once I saw them I was drooling. I just knew I had to make a batch.

Anyway, besides being awesome corn muffins to eat for breakfast they are so good in stuffing. Yep, Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I used some of these babies in an amazing Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing that I saw on Baked by Rachel. I’m blog stalking Rachel. ha! Well that Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing was awesome so I will share that recipe tomorrow too!!

Cornbread Muffins

Makes 15 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1C buttermilk (or substitute by mixing together 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid)

Process

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare muffins tins by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. (If cooking all 15 muffins at once, then only spray 3 cups in the 2nd muffin tin)
In a small bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl combine the melted butter with the sugar and eggs. Whisk in buttermilk. Slowly add dry ingredients, stirring until completely combined.
Fill each muffin pan cavity roughly 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
Allow muffins to cool for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to several days.

Sourced from Baked by Rachel

Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread

April 19, 2013

You know who loves bacon? Our dog! Well, he loves the smell of it and sits in the kitchen desperately hoping he will get it. I see his little squish nose smelling the air frantically taking it all in. I’m sure he’s hoping that I’d use that to train him to ‘come’, ‘sit’ or ‘gimme paw’ but no way Jose!

Poor little Kempers had to endure while I made this Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread. Those poor little puppy eyes. But I didn’t crack! That bacon was for our cornbread!

And man, this cornbread is so good! It’s a very nice texture and of course the flavor is great. While I love sweet, dense cornbread this is savory and very light in density. The jalapeno gives it a nice little spicy edge. And of course anything with bacon kicks ass.

So, how did I pick cornbread for this week’s Sprint Cup Snack for this weekend’s race in Kansas? Well, Kansas is located in the bread basket and is known for their corn production. Well didn’t that just work out perfectly?

Eat ’em up!

Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups corn meal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 stick of butter, melted and cooled
2 jalapenos, minced
6 strips of cooked bacon, diced

Process

Cover the surface of the 10-inch cast iron skillet with the canola oil.
Place the skillet in the oven while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the corn meal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and butter together.
Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour the batter into the skillet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

*I used a Scone & Cornbread Pan so I had some extra batter that I used to make 12 additional mini muffins, that I cooked for about 7 minutes.

adapted from The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

This is just the 3rd STP400 being held. When NASCAR changed up their schedule in 2011 this race was added to the schedule, in addition to the fall race at Kansas Motor Speedway. The speedway was built in 2001 to fulfill the need to have another Midwest track. Since then the economy in the area has been booming with new shopping center developments and hotels.

Track: 1.5 miles

Shape: D-Shaped Tri-Oval

Banking: 10.4-11 degree banking in the front stretch, 5 degree in the back stretch, and 17-20 degrees in the turns.

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 81,687 seats

Race: 267 laps for 400.5 miles

2012 winner: Denny Hamlin

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Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers- SRC

January 28, 2013

It is Secret Recipe Club time!!!

This month I was giving the blog by fellow native New Englander Jess. She, and husband Nick, are living in Mississippi as Nick is in the air force. Jess has the blog called Flying on Jess Fuel where she documents what she makes for the 2 of them. They met through a friend at a Mexican restaurant, where she impressed him with her jalapeno eating skills. Ohh spice! I knew I would love this blog.

I browsed her recipes and had several in mind but I picked one that featured jalapenos! I decided to make the Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers because it would be fun to make for the upcoming Superbowl and I love them as much as Jess. They are definitely different than a typical jalapeno popper but the change up is so much fun. There are much lighter as they are not packed full of cream cheese and cheese but the cornbread gets nicely fluffy and the crunchy cheesy top is a nice finishing touch. I only made a few simple changes along the way by adding some paprika to the corn bread and then broiling at the end to get the cheese extra brown and crunchy.

I hope that you’ll add these to your Superbowl menu. We are relaxing at home this year and I can’t wait to kick back with chips and something spicy to enjoy with a cold beer!

Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

Makes 24 poppers

Ingredients

12 medium large fresh jalapenos
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.
Slice each jalapeno down the center and remove seeds and ribs.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, paprika, oil, milk, corn and cheese until just mixed.
Fill each jalapeno half with the cornbread batter. Sprinkle them all with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and cooked through.
Broil the cheesy top until golden brown.

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Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts.