This starts off easy with a box of corn muffin mix, an egg, 2 tbsp melted butter, 3/4 cups milk and 1 cup of frozen corn kernels. Spread into a cast iron skillet that’s been coated with olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes (or until golden brown)

While the cornbread is in the oven, sauté some diced onion and pepper until soft. Add some garlic, cumin, chili powder and stir to combine. Add a couple cups of diced, cooked chicken, a small can of tomato sauce, a tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of brown sugar. Simmer until the cornbread layer is finished.

When the cornbread is golden brown, spread the chicken mixture over the top, sprinkle a cup or two of shredded cheddar cheese over everything and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

Top with scallions and some fresh, chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and enjoy! (I always like a dash of sour cream on the side)

And we always love a good meatloaf. It’s like the perfect fall comfort food. I know there are a million different ways to make it but my favorite is to use steel cut oats in the mix instead of any breadcrumbs (or even bread soaked in milk). My traditionalist husband was also quite distressed to learn many years ago that I don’t use all ground beef like his mother always used to, but a mix of ground beef, pork and veal. To me, both those ingredients keep everything moist and give it wonderful flavor.

One thing that never varies are the sides. In my house, it has to be mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. To my family, the only acceptable vegetable substitution is peas. It’s a tough crowd to cook for! 😉

You’ll notice there’s no gravy. That’s not a deliberate choice, but an accident in realizing that I didn’t have any on hand until we were sitting down to eat. I view it as an excuse to make meatloaf again soon!

One thing I have tried is to lighten things up by using ground chicken or turkey. I find to keep that nice and moist, it helps to bake them in muffin tins to make mini-meat loafs.