Chili con Cornbread
Mom loved to help people, and she loved to help her children more. She wasn’t too happy about helping the gypsy who stole her purse in Barcelona, but that’s another story.
Mom was also a master planner and organizer. She could organize a junk yard in an hour with the right help (and she probably did that, but I have no proof). But again, I digress.
When I went to college, Mom gave me a pot, a baking pan, a small set of cooking utensils, and a yellow Reader’s Digest Quick Thrifty Cooking cookbook. With a few “extra” recipes stuffed inside. She said I could make most of the recipes with those things in the small kitchen in my college dorm, Montag Hall on West Campus, near the Student Athletic Complex (SAC) and across the street from the band building.
And so I did, offering a plate to my hall mates for a small amount that often covered the cost of the food I prepared. (Grandma G gave me a plate, bowl and utensils, but that’s another story). It was hard to cook for one, but Mom showed me how to efficiently prepare meals with few things to wash, which I was expected to do while cooking or immediately after eating, depending on the thing.
Chili con cornbread, taken from a newspaper flyer with a coupon attached and stuffed in as an “extra,” was one of the more popular “one-pan” meals I made during this time.
"Chili under a delicious layer of Martha White cornbread"
- 2 cans chili, 15oz or 4 cups homemade chili
- 1 package Martha White cornbread mix, any variety
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
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Preheat oven to 400F
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Pour chili into lightly-greased, 8 inch square baking pan
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Prepare cornbread batter according to package instructions
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Stir in cheese (into cornbread batter)
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Pour over chili
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Bake 30 to 35 minutes
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Cool 5 minutes
