Monday, March 26, 2012

Chili and Cornbread

As many of you know, prior to moving to AZ, we lived in South Dakota where it was cold about ... 6-8 months of the year, with snow that was almost always OUT.of.CONTROL! --- Not even going to lie, it was one of my favorite places that we've lived (and we've been to quite a few different places now so ... that actually does mean a lot), but the greatest challenge for us was coming up with food dishes that would stay warm for long periods of time when we were going to potlucks and such! Well, our neighbors introduced us to cornbread and chili and we have been making it ever since!

First: Betty Crocker's Authentic Cornbread and Muffin Mix!

What you'll need:

1 egg
1/3 cup milk (plus a little extra ... explained below)
2 tbsp of melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
Betty Crocker Authentic Cornbread & Muffin Mix 


Directions:

In a bowl, beat the egg completely. Then add 1/3 cup of milk along with a little extra (the little extra just varies depending on the day ... but I'd say it's equivalent to about 1 tablespoon), AND also about 1 tablespoon of sugar! -- Not to worry, the sugar will not make it a sweet cornbread ... it'll just add a little something! Mix with about 1.5 tablespoons of butter (save the rest to pour over the top), and the cornbread mix! ... Stir until all the chunks are gone, but do not over-stir.

After mix is ready, heat up the cast iron skillet and while heating, put a little bit of butter to coat the bottom and along the sides so the mix doesn't stick. When the skillet is completely hot, take the skillet off the heat and pour the mix into the pan. Top it off with the remaining butter (about 0.5 tablespoon). The cornbread mix may look like it has started cooking already in the pan, which is fine.


While preparing the mix and heating the cast iron skillet, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and then put the cornbread in!

This recipe has a cook time of 14-16 minutes. I typically only need around 13, sometimes 14 but I just watch it till it gets a nice golden brown crust on top! ... Here's what the final product looks like in the pan:


I then cut the cornbread into 6 slices and serve hot with butter and honey! YUM!

With this, we make vegetarian chili!

What you'll need:

1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Water
2 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet Collection Chili Powder
Sour Cream
Cheese
Cilantro, chopped


Directions:

Primarily, add black beans, pinto beans, and dark red kidney beans into a blender and puree to consistency of choice. This really depends on how chunky you like your chili so decide accordingly!

In a pan, heat up oil and add onion. Sautee till gold brown. Then add pureed beans and chili powder and salt, as desired. Add water, bring to boil, and reduce. If it's too "soupy" just boil it until it gets to the consistency that you like your chili. Serve hot, with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro as a garnish!


As I said before, this makes for the perfect potluck dish, because you can take it with you and leave it heated in a crockpot till everyone is ready to enjoy! ... So let me know, do you have any favorite cornbread or chili recipes? What are some of your favorite potluck dishes?

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