A Simple Accompaniment

This Sunday for Company Dinner, I made a big ole pot of white chicken chili. You can find the recipe for that right here in the Recipe Trove, since I've shared that before. I did make a few changes though that were really good- and inspired by my mother who made the same thing a week earlier. This time, I added one finely chopped jalapeno to the onions, and I also added a hefty handful of cilantro. Oh my, does the cilantro make the chili a bit of Heaven. A dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of freshly chopped tomato and you have a meal in a bowl with no need for further adornment. Unless you happen to love Corn Muffins.

Of course, I love corn muffins, although I am a bit afraid to say that around a true Southerner...because I happen to like my corn muffins best with some sugar in them. I prefer them on the sweeter side. (Ducking the tomatoes) WE used to have a Chi-Chi's around here, and I would go there just to get that tiny scoop of sweetened corn cake on my plate. That stuff was heaven to me. The beauty of corn muffins is that they are the perfect accompaniment for a savory dish, like chili. Or they are fantastic with a smear of honey or homemade preserves. So without further ado, here is my recipe for Corn Muffins. Reduce the sugar as you'd like, of course.

Corn Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup light olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare your muffin pan by spraying with cooking spray- both inside and around the cups.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk and oil. Add to the flour mixture, and mix just until combined and smooth- be careful not to over mix.

Spoon into your muffin pan, filling cups 2/3 full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean, and the muffins are browning around the edges.

Makes 12 standard size muffins.