Cornbread Stuffed Poblano Peppers

​I had 4 lonely poblano peppers that needed to be used. I've been on a popper kick lately, but I decided that I wanted these to be a little different. Cornbread was the answer. You could use these as a snack or a side dish, either way they're pretty tasty. Here's what you'll need:

  • poblano peppers ( I used 4 medium sized)​
  • 1 1/4 C corn meal
  • 1 1/4 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 TBL butter, melted
  • 1 C frozen corn
  • pepper jack cheese

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar, stirring to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and the eggs together then add the wet mixture to the dry mixture stirring until just combined. Then add the melted butter and combine. Stir in the corn taking care not to over mix.

The batter will be slightly thicker than normal cornbread batter because you want it to stay in the pepper and not run out.

Now, cut in of the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.​

Spoon a large tablespoon of the batter into the bottom of a pepper and spread it to cover the pepper. Place a slice of the pepper jack cheese on top of the batter, then top the cheese with more batter so that the cheese is covered. Repeat with the remaining peppers.​

​

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. ​

I was able to make 8 halves and had enough batter left over to make a small pan of cornbread. I think it would easily make twice the number of peppers if you were making them as an appetizer. I served mine as a side dish--kind of a combination bread and vegetable. ​

The peppers I used were very mild. If I had checked that before I made them, I probably would have added some chopped peppers to the cornbread mixture before baking it. ​The next time I make them, I think I'll add some cooked chorizo or shrimp or chicken or bacon and make them the main dish.

​

Enjoy!​

Lynn

Creamy Poblano Chicken with Cornbread Waffles

Hubby calls it "dinner's version of biscuits and gravy". I call it delicious! It's a twist on chicken and waffles, creamy, slightly spicy, and pure comfort. It takes a little more effort, but it's worth it. I'll give you some shortcuts at the end that will make it faster if you're in a hurry. Here's what you'll need:

  • 3 TBL butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 poblano peppers (roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped)​
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (we prefer dark meat so I used 6 thighs)​
  • 8 oz mushrooms, quartered and sauted
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • cayenne to taste (we like spicy so I used 1 tsp)​
  • 4 TBL butter
  • 4 TBL flour
  • 4 C milk
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 8 oz shredded cheese (I used 4 cheese Mexican blend)​

Cornbread Waffle

  • ​1 1/2 C cornmeal
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 C milk
  • 1/4 C butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

Melt 3 TBL butter and add the onion, poblanos, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté until onions are soft and translucent. Add chicken and cook until done. Remove cooked chicken, chop into bite sized pieces, and return to pan.

To make the white sauce, in a separate saucepan, melt 4 TBL butter, add 4 TBL flour and cook together for about 2 minutes until flour is cooked but not brown. Slowly add the 4 cups of milk, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. You can tell it's done by coating the back of a spoon with the sauce, then draw your finger through the sauce. If it makes a clear path without running back together, it's done (see picture). Add the sauce to the chicken mixture, simmering until the sauce it thickened. Stir in sour cream and blend until smooth. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Serve over the cornbread waffles.

​Cornbread Waffles:

Stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and sal. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, and melted butter then add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until just blended. Add the corn and mix until incorporated. Bake in preheated waffle iron until crisp.

So I promised you shortcuts, remember? If you don't want to make your own white sauce, just substitute 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. I think white sauce is super easy to make, but it will still be delicious with the soup substitute. The other shortcut is to use your favorite boxed cornbread mix (not sweet) instead of making it from scratch. Just mix it according to the instructions on the box and add the frozen corn. This recipe will serve 6.

Enjoy,

Lynn

Tamale and Cornbread Dressing

I grew up eating cornbread dressing during the holidays and I love it. I've been making this version for years and it's become a new favorite. It's a lot of chopping and it's a little more expensive because of the tamales, but it's worth the extra time and money. The recipe makes enough for 12 servings but I double it every year with good results. 

Here's what you'll need:

  • 6 TBL butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 3  roasted poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 3 large jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 1 ½ TBL Mexican oregano
  • 6 C corn bread (not sweet), cooked and crumbled
  • ¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 ½ C crumbled corn tortilla chips
  • 1 ½ C frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 3 C chicken stock
  • 1 can cream-style corn
  • 1 doz corn tamales, unwrapped and cut into 1” chunks
  • salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion, poblanos, jalapenos, bell pepper, and oregano until vegetables are tender.

Crumble the corn bread into a large bowl and add the sauted vegetables. Then add the cilantro, corn chips, corn kernels, cream style corn, and chicken stock and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Now add the chopped tamales and gently mix them together without breaking them up too much. You want the tamales to be  in bite size chunks, not little crumbles.

Place in a greased 9 x 13 casserole. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes to brown the top.

This can be made ahead and frozen. After you've cooked it, just cover it tightly and freeze. To serve, just thaw and reheat.

Enjoy!

Lynn