Cornbread is a delicious side at almost any meal. The only problem is that I often find the corn bread super dry and not so great. There’s nothing worse than putting all that effort in to baking only to have it come out dry and crumbly. I figured out a way to solve this problem — using Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. I love cornbread alongside chili and soups and salads . You can add sliced up jalapeño if you’d like.

This cornbread came out moist and delicious. No judgements here — I am all about the short cut and making life easy .

I used an 8×8 pyrex and it was pretty thick , I would suggest a 9×9 or a 10″ pyrex it will be easier to cook. Next time out I use a 9×9. It came out perfectly but the center took a little longer to fully cook and the edges start to brown up so if you have a 9×9 or 10 use that.

The prep on this is ridiculously easy and it would be a great bread for Thanksgiving if you’re not making my Cornbread Pudding.

Ingredients:

2– 8.5 oz. boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

2 eggs

2/3 cup Milk

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Add the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix to a large bowl

Add in the eggs, milk, sour cream, vegetable oil and sugar

Mix all of the ingredients together

Pour into a pre-sprayed ( Pam) casserole dish if no Pam use butter and grease the whole pan

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean — Mine was in an 8×8 so I had to cook a little longer — but I would go with a minimum of 9×9 next time.

This soup recipe was inspired by Melissa Clark’s Lemony White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens. I changed the recipe around to suit my taste by all means check hers out as well @nytimes.com/recipes .

I like my soups thicker so I pureed 1 can of beans with a little broth and this had the desired effect. Don’t skimp on the squeeze of lemon it brightens up the flavor perfectly.

I really enjoyed this soup and it was excellent as lunch the next day . I just added a little water and heated it up and it was perfection in a bowl.

You can freeze up to 3 months and when you defrost you’ll just add a little water or broth to bring it back to the perfect consistency.

I served with some very delicious corn bread that I made . ( just a suggestion)

This is what I did.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 large onion , diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

app. 1/2 bag baby spinach or regular spinach

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 lb. ground turkey

3 minced garlic cloves

1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 Teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 quart chicken stock– I used a little more to puree beans or just puree beans without broth — it will be fine. I happen to have some extra broth on hand.

2 15 ox. cans white beans, drained and rinsed — Cannellini or small white bean or Navy Beans

1/2 Lemon — squeezed

Directions:

Heat a large soup pot ( Le Creuset) over medium-high heat for a minute or so and add the 3 tablespoons olive oil, heat for another minute or so. Add diced onion and carrot, saute until very soft and onions are translucent , app. 10 minutes. ( don’t burn)

When the onion is golden, add tomato paste, cumin and red-pepper flakes to the pot, saute until paste darkens, a few minutes more.

Add turkey, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, saute and break up the meat, until turkey is well incorporated , app. 7 – 10 minutes.

While this was cooking , I took 1 can of beans , ( rinsed and drained) and pureed along with a little broth in the food processor.

Keep the other can of beans whole after you rinse and drain.

Then add the stock and the whole beans and pureed beans and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until soup starts to thicken, tasting for salt as you go. I do this for at least an hour. I prefer a thicker broth and the pureed beans gave me this. You can always add more stock , a little water or even a splash of white wine to thin out the broth.

I like my soup to sit for a while and I kept it on a low simmer . Right before serving I added app. 1/2 bag of baby spinach. ( any greens will do but I prefer spinach because it’s soft and and takes no time. If you use Kale or a tougher green like collard greens it will take longer to soften up — maybe another 15 minutes or so.

I then squeezed 1/2 lemon into the soup pot, tasted for salt and it was done.

I served with a little grated parmesan cheese and next time I make this I think I will cook up some small pasta ( ditalini type ) and add to the soup bowl for a very filling meal.

This was delicious and I served with freshly made corn bread.

This is an oven baked rice with mushrooms which turned out so perfectly and so delicious I just had to share. The rice was garlicky , with a hint of butter and the mushrooms were golden brown and juicy. Very little prep and very few ingredients and very tasty. Perfect accompaniment to poultry or fish.

Give it a go.

Ingredients:

Mushrooms:

1 lb. Mushrooms, I sliced them but you can quarter them as well , I just used regular white button mushroom. Cremini would be fine here as well

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

3 large garlic cloves

Kosher salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil– I started with 1 Tbsp. and then added a little more because mushrooms seemed a little dry — don’t soak them in oil but if they seem dry add a little

Rice:

1 cup long grain rice — I used Jasmine –Basmati would also work perfectly or long grain white rice

1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian

3/4 cup Water

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

Green Onions to top it off after it is completely cooked

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Place Mushrooms in a large bowl, pour hot melted butter over mushrooms , add minced fresh garlic, and about a teaspoon of kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill– you can taste raw mushrooms for salt and pepper add to your own discretion

Place all the rice ingredients in a baking pan ( app. 9×13)

Stir the rice around so its evenly spread out over the bottom of the pan

Spread the mushrooms over the rice–they may be partially submerged but should pretty much cover the whole surface of the rice

I cooked for app. 45 minutes and made sure all water was absorbed and rice was perfectly cooked I then removed from oven and let it rest for a few minutes then topped it off with some chopped up green onions.

This is so my kind of meal once the weather starts to turn a little colder. It’s made with a store bought rotisserie chicken and this chicken chili is all made in one pot on the stove-top. It’s filling and the different peppers add a wonderful mix of flavors to the chili. You’ll need a large dutch oven sort of pot for this and you’ll have some left overs for sure depending on how many people you’re cooking for.

I crumbled some tortilla chips on top of my chili and added a dollop of sour cream which added to the flavor. Cheese is also a wonderful topping here.

Of course if you hate cilantro you can eliminate it and be careful cutting the peppers, the seeds and ribs in the pepper hold all the heat. It’s your call how spicy you’d like it. I like spicy but don’t really use the seeds and I keep it mild and more family-friendly because you never really know how spicy it can get adding the seeds and ribs. I also use rubber or latex gloves while cutting and be careful not to touch your eyes till you’ve completely washed your hands. If I want heat I can add a shot of Chohula to my own.

This chili does thicken considerably as it sits. If you make it ahead of time, you may want to add broth or water depending on how thick you like it.

Leftovers are great and this chili can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat and you may want to add some broth or water to it as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

2 15 oz. cans white beans (cannellini)–drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and minced

2 medium poblano peppers, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

Kosher Salt to taste

1 Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded

3/4 cup frozen corn

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime

*1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro –we like it a lot but not everyone does I know so just omit it

Optional Toppings:

Sour Cream

Crushed Tortilla Chips

Shredded Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Lime Wedges

Directions:

Get all ingredients chopped and ready to cook.

In a food processor , blend 1/2 of the beans (1 can) with 1 cup of the chicken broth and set aside with the remaining drained beans

Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch Oven and heat it over medium high heat. Add the onions, jalapeño pepper and poblano peppers and cook, stirring frequently until soft about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then add the cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and continue to cook, stirring frequently for another few minutes. Add the Chicken Broth, pureed beans and app. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken, reserved whole can of beans, corn and lime juice; bring back to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt . Stir in the chopped cilantro. It will be somewhat soupy still and that’s OK. The longer it sits the thicker it will get. I let it cook for probably an hour or so and If it’s too thick you can add a little water. It’s really a chili so I like it thick but it’s totally up to you how you like it.