~ * ~ Chilly Beans & Jalapeno Cornbread ~ * ~

Leasmom wanted me to share the recipes for my chili and cornbread , so I decided to post them today , it's a great meal for chilly October nights. I love chili beans , but I usually make them different each time , depending on what ingredients I have on hand and how much. So , I'll try to give a estimate of the ingredients , since I didn't measure most of them.

Chilly Beans

1 lb ~ Dry Pintos

1/2 lb ~ Dry Kidney Beans

1 Quart of canned tomatoes ( From Garden )

1 26 oz can of Del-monte spaghetti sauce ( had on hand instead of tomato sauce )

2 lbs of ground round or ground beef

1 onion

1 large bell pepper (I used 3 small ones from the garden)

Fresh Garlic ~ 8-10 cloves or to your taste (we love garlic)

3 tbsp of chili powder

1 tsp of paprika

Prep beans and rinse , put in pot with water to cover , bring to boil. Turn heat down , cook for 15 minutes. Turn beans off and let soak for a hour or two , you can do this the night before and let them soak overnight. At this point you can add beans to a crock pot or finish cooking on the stove if you're at home for the day. Go ahead and add canned tomatoes and sauce , you may need to add a little more water. Turn beans back on and let them start cooking again. Brown your meat , onions , peppers in a skillet , add to beans. I use my garlic press to mince the garlic cloves , add to bean mixture. Add chili powder and paprika , stir in well. Let beans continue to cook until done. I like hot chili beans , but since the grands will be eating them too , I just chop some jalapenos to add when we serve the beans.

Jalapeno Cornbread

2 eggs

2 cups self rising cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup veggie oil ( I use canola)

1 cup of buttermilk or 1 cup milk (add 1 tbsp of vinegar) for sour milk

2 jalapenos , seeded and diced

8 inch cast iron skillet , greased and sprinkled with cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add eggs to large bowl and beat slightly , add buttermilk and oil to egg mixture , stir well. Add 2 cups self rising cornmeal and 1 tsp of baking powder to mixture , stir well , add jalapenos , stir again. You can add some cheddar cheese to the mixture if you like or I just sprinkled some on top of the batter since I only had a small amount of cheese on hand. I'm not sure about the baking time , I just keep a close eye on it and bake until done.

Let me know if you have any questions.

~ Autumn Blessings ~

JoyceAnn