I often find myself making the same things over and over for dinner.  I can cook, but I am not a creative cook.  Tell me what to make and I will make it, but tell me to come up with something new to make and I have to do my homework.

Recently my best friend and I were talking about this.  I told her I had found an awesome new recipe that contained cornbread...and really, who doesn't like cornbread?!

She immediately informed me that it was my duty to tell her when I stumble across something new and good.  So when I made this dish again, I thought it was probably my duty to share it with all of you too.

I quickly snapped a couple pictures of it, before my family dug into it.

 

{"you ain't never had my cornbread, a little bit of heaven and a little bit of hell yeah" - Dave Matthews Band, Cornbread.  You didn't really think I would post something about cornbread without mentioning one of my all time favorite songs, did you?}

 

 

 

The great thing about this recipe is you can use different things and it turns out great no matter what.

What you need:

{For those of you who need "exacts", no worries...I am very much that way and this recipe really does work with "whatever"...so hang in there}

28 oz (or two small cans) of kidney beans

28 oz (or two small cans) of petite diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained

half a package of Cincinnati recipe chili mix OR 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Now the rest is up to you...I have added

6 potatoes, baked and gutted - use the guts

1 lb lean ground beef, browned  {Note:  My family is trying to go meatless, so if you are using beef, maybe use less potatoes so the dish isn't overflowing}

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can of corn

1 can of green chilies

1 heaping tablespoon of sliced jalapeno from a jar

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese of your choice

3 packages of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

 

You can seriously use whatever your family likes...or whatever you have in your cabinets at the time.

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

Mix all of the ingredients except for the cheese and corn muffin mix in a large pot on medium heat.

Pour mixture in casserole dish.

Mix cornbread according to the directions on the package, remember to let the cornbread mixture sit 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle shredded cheese onto mixture in casserole dish to cover.

Spread cornbread mixture on top of cheese.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, keeping an eye on your cornbread.

 

And...Voila!

 

My kids even like it, so it's a winner for us!

Enjoy!