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.)

Hearty Chili with a Honey Cornbread Hat
This makes a LOT of chili. An almost full 9x12 dish so you can easily cut this in half if its not for a full family, or opt to use half the chili to bake with cornbread and freeze the other half for future meals.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14oz can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 14oz white navy beans (you can sub another kind, or just use two red kidney cans), drained, rinsed
• 2 heaping tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix, OR, your own recipe

Instructions: 

1. Combine ingredients starting with crushed tomatoes through water in a large bowl and stir until incorporated. Set aside.
2. Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion over medium high heat in a large skillet. Drain or scoop out any excess fat with a large spoon.
3. Turn to medium heat, add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant.
4. Add everything in the bowl into the skillet, lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes.
5. Make your cornbread mix while it is cooking, preheat the oven to suggested temperature (Jiffy is 400 for 15-20 minutes).
6. Transfer cooked chili to a LARGE oven safe dish, dollop the top with cornbread mixture, smooth it and place in oven for recommended time.
7. Remove, rest for 15-20 minutes and dig in!

I also like to eat this with a spoonful of sour cream. Sometimes I add corn to the chili, too. It's very easy to bend to your own personal tastes. Enjoy!