Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

The weather lately has been less than cheerful and shows no sign of summer anywhere. We are a little tired of the cold winds and rain, and knew we needed some good ol' comfort food to warm us up. This cheddar jalapeno cornbread hit the spot. As soon as this bad boy was out of the oven it was into our bellies, topped with some warm butter. Warm, with a spicy kick from the jalapenos and cheesy; it doesn't get much better than this on a dreary rainy day in Ottawa. 

Directions:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or bacon drippings)
2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
2 jalapeños, diced
1 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the oil (or drippings) in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.

Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. Whisk egg and buttermilk. Mix with dry ingredients. Fold in jalapeños and 1 cup of shredded cheddar.

Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix. Pour batter into cast iron skillet and top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.

Our friend Phil diggin' right in there

Mmmm, look how crumbly!