Tastes – Chili–Cornbread Tips

Why didn’t our chili loving culinary team think of this chili and cornbread recipe in one pot?

I found this tip on the food network’s Saturday morning with Sandra Dee of semi-homemade fame.

We enjoy preparing and devouring delicious chili, especially on cool evenings and for casual parties. We generally make corn bread to serve in a large basket on the side.

Sandra simply poured the unbaked cornbread mixture on top of the cooked chili in a large casserole dish. Then she baked it all at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the corn bread had a golden crust on top and chili was happily bubbling underneath.

We three added our favorite extra – grated cheese on top of the hot cornbread. The cheddar melted into the hot corn bread and chili for a one dish meal served straight from the casserole on the table. This was more fun and less dishes.

Our recipes for chili are fairly simple, mine came from an old Peg Bracken cookbook called “I Hate to Cook” cookbook. We love to cook, but like her old simple cookbook.

I remember her chili recipe as having one of everything, one onion, one pound of beef, one can of tomatoes, one can of beans, one tablespoon of chili powder or one chili, and so on.

We have added our own preferences to this basic recipe. Maralyn likes ground turkey and red wine. I like to add ground pork, garlic and beer. No matter what we try it is always different and delicious. The corn bread topping made it even better.

We served this cornbread chili with a green salad.

Cornbread Tips:

We admit it, we often use a mix, even on one memorable Thanksgiving day.

We simply add a heaping tablespoon of oil or mayonnaise and a can of drained green chili’s to the mix to make the bread moist and tasty.

Another tip is the addition of a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice for a subtle sweetness that no one can guess.

Chili tip:

Make more than you think you want. Somehow it dissapears. Also, chili tastes even better the next day.