Tuesday, July 31

Hearty Chili with a Honey Cornbread Hat


Lately I've been craving homestyle comfort foods. Meals with lots of gravies or sauces, something with meat and soothing flavors. Meals that warm you from the inside... which is weird, seeing as how it's summer. That's weird, right? They are things that make me think of my dad cooking in the kitchen while I was growing up. Cowboy foods always make me think of him, though Im not entirely sure why. Maybe because he is wearing a cowboy hat and worn through jeans in every childhood photo I've seen.

Chili is a big hit in our house, mister really loves a good chili. But with all of my baby hormones swirling around affecting my taste buds, a bowl of chili just didn't seem fully complete. What could I pair with it? Cornbread! What could make it more comforting than cornbread? Mmm, warm, crumbly, sweet cornbread.

Now, unfortunately I haven't perfected a cornbread recipe enough to feel comfortable posting it on the blog. I have a bunch saved to try from other bakers, but I haven't made any of them yet. So this doesn't include instructions for homemade cornbread. And, honestly, getting into my third trimester has me simultaneously getting in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible - I took a shortcut with two little Jiffy cornbread mixes and added a tablespoon of some locally harvested honey.
Always include honey in your cornbread. It should be a rule.
(And I hate honey. So obviously it does something miraculous.)