Quick And Easy Mexican Cornbread

I don't know about you, but I get in a rut sometimes (!) when it comes to what I cook. I tend to cook the same few things over and over again for a while. Then I'll switch out a recipe or two, and make those same few dishes over and over again! This recipe today is a tried and true one that I make in spurts--sometimes more than others! It's not a typical cornbread, it's a meal in itself.

Too, brown, but doesn't it look good?

There are a couple of different ways to make Mexican Cornbread, but this is how I did it today.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat


• 2 pkgs cornbread mix


• 1 can cream style corn


• 2 eggs


• 1 8oz container sour cream


• cheese


• chopped or sliced jalapenos or other peppers, or chopped green chilies (optional)

Cook the ground meat and drain. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cornbread mix, eggs, sour cream, and corn. Today I'm baking this in a large iron skillet, sometimes I just use a 9 x 9 pan, or even a 9 x 13. When I use the iron skillet, I add a couple of tablespoons of oil and heat the skillet, either in the oven or on top of the stove. If I use anything else, I skip that part and just grease the pan. Add about half of the batter to the pan. Layer the cooked ground meat, sprinkle with peppers if using, then cover it with cheese of your choice. Today I had some sandwich sized slices of cheddar, and also some grated Mexican blend. Cover with remaining cornbread batter and bake at about 350 F for 30-40 minutes, or until the center seems set and the top is slightly browned. (As you can see from the picture, I let this one get too brown-my oven gets too hot, and it should have been adjusted down a little more.)

Variations:

Sometimes I use Mexican cornbread mix, usually one Mexican and one regular. I've also used Mexi-corn or whole kernel corn in place of the cream-style corn. When our son was small, he didn't like the "red and green things" in it, so I started using the plain.

Today I used regular Jiffy cornbread mix; at home or when I can get it, I like the Corn-kits brand. You can certainly use any scratch cornbread recipe that you may have, and just add the corn to the batter.

This is very filling, and leftovers reheat well, either in the oven (wrap in foil so it doesn't dry out) or in the microwave.

Give this a try and see how you family likes it!

For more links to other recipes, see Tasty Tuesday at Forever...Wherever, or Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Good cooking, and good eating!