Naughty Cornbread

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Naughty Cornbread
(Tammie Zimmerman)

Tis' the season to make chili  and cornbread, is it not? I love chili and I love cornbread and I especially love the recipe I am sharing today.  I saw it on a friend's Instagram so I will give her credit but I'm sure there are other variation out there.

Ingredients
-1 recipe cornbread (I use my mom's recipe but you can use a box mix as well.)
-1 yellow cake mix

I apologize for the super long grocery list. Hehe.

Directions

Mix the cornbread recipe with the yellow cake mix recipe.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Test it just like a cake for doneness by sticking a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean.


This recipe is definitely more cake than bread but I promise you'll never go back to regular cornbread again!  Never!  Enjoy:)

Carroty Mac-n-Cheese

Katherine was a bear to try and teach to breast feed.  She would cry for up to an hour before latching on, if she even did that.  Stubborn?  I'd say so, just like her father. ;)  That said I still wanted to breast feed her so I turned to pumping as the next best option.  With Katherine at 5-months old I am still pumping four times a day and supplementing with formula as needed.  All this to say that I often times have long periods of time with nothing to do but stare off into space - at least when I pump before my bambinos wake up in the morning and after they go to bed at night.  I quickly tired of Facebook and checking email so I began reading recipes in search of new, yummy and fairly quick dishes to make.  Weelicious provided a link to this recipe on a list of their favorites from 2011 and it has proven a fast favorite with the two and under crowd in our house.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Whatcha Making Wednesdays: Carroty Mac and Cheese
(Three Many Cooks)
Makes 6 servings

2 cups whole wheat macaroni
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (about 8 small)
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400° F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven.
2. Cook macaroni according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water; add carrot 3 minutes before pasta is finished cooking; drain well.
3. While pasta is hot, stir in all but 1/2 cup of the cheddar and the butter. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, mustard powder, and pepper. Fold mixture into the pasta.
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and the parmesan over the top. Bake until the casserole is firm to the touch and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

What Else?(from Three Many Cooks)

• If you’re grating your cheddar cheese in the food processor, you don’t have to wash out the machine before grating the carrots. Or vice versa.
• This is one of those macaroni and cheeses with an eggy custard base that puffs as it cooks, and is cut into squares to serve, like a casserole, as opposed to that gooey, creamy, stove-top béchamel sauce version. I know that some people have strong opinions about proper mac and cheese (I’m an equal opportunist myself), but thought I’d let you know what you’re getting.
• You can vary the cheese to give this rather plain (if tasty) dish more personality. Gruyère, aged Cheddar, pecorino, and aged Gouda will all add a sophisticated allure that will raise it above mere kids’ food.

Green Chile Cornbread

Whatcha Making Wednesday: Green Chile Cornbread

A few of my favorite recipes come from my mother-in-law and this recipe is included in that group.  If you've ever had a spoonbread you'll think it similar to this.  I love it when I ask my MIL to write down a recipe for me - she kind of laughs and then starts estimating what the portion size of the ingredients list is.  She always uses a little of this, and a little of that, so her recipes are very adaptable.  In my opinion this makes a tasty, quick side dish for Mexican food or any type of grilled meat.  Plus it is very kiddo friendly - HB loves this and when I served it last week he utilized his newly acquired skill of pointing and grunting "oohh."

Mix the following ingredients together and baked at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  (I realize that is a huge span of time but it is largely variable depending on how deep your dish is.  The shallower your pan, the shorter the time and vice versa.)

2 cans cream style corn
1 can diced greeen chiles (or 1/3 cup if you roast your own)
1 t baking powder
3/4 t garlic salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 - 1 cup corn meal
1 cup (or a good handful) of cheddar cheese
2 eggs