Jalapeno Cornbread and Magic Beans

It's Man Food day.  The Bellman has been super busy at work and needed a little treat.  Funny, a treat to me usually involves frozen yogurt at Menchie's and a trip to DSW.  Ah well--whatever makes ya happy!

 
These are a couple of his absolute favorites.  The cornbread is a tad on the spicy side for me but the Bellman looooves it this way.  You can easily adjust the heat by decreasing the amount of jalapenos used.  This cornbread pairs really well with Chili in the winter months, too.  The beans are adapted from a recipe I begged off a friend a few years ago (thank you, Michelle). I think the beans are really a meal in themselves.  Served up with a side salad, a bit of corn bread and some sweet tea and I'm good to go!
 
 
JALAPENO CORNBREAD
Yield:  9x13 pan or 36 muffins
 
2C Flour
1 1/2C corn meal
1/2C sugar
3tbl baking powder
3/4tsp salt
(or you can totally do the short cut and use 3 boxes of good ole Jiffy Cornbread mix instead of the above.  I've made this recipe both ways and each are equally tasty).
 
1 Vidalia onion, diced
2C Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2C buttermilk
1/2C veggie oil
1 (15oz) can creamed corn
6oz jalapenos, chopped (I used a small can, drained)
 
1.  Mix all until just combined.
2.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan or greased muffin tins.
3.  Bake at 375 for approx. 45 minutes.  The muffins baked quicker---about 25-30 minutes.
 
 
MAGIC BEANS
Yield: 6 cups
 
3/4 lb ground beef (I prefer 93%)
3/4 lb bacon
1 onion, chopped (I like larger chunks rather than a smaller dice in this recipe)
1C brown sugar
1C ketchup
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper
2tsp Worcestershire
1- 16oz can Pork and Beans, undrained
1- 16oz can kidney beans, undrained
1- 16oz can butter beans, undrained
 
1.  Sautee onions in a bit of butter until just softened.
2.  Add ground beef to onions and brown.
3.  Drain and set aside.
4.  Cook the bacon. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to cool.  When cool enough, chop into rough chunks.

I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven.  I line a large baking sheet with foil, making sure to build up the sides so the grease doesn't run all over. Place the bacon strips evenly on baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.  I like my bacon very crispy.  You can adjust the baking time to your preference. 

 

5.  In a mixing bowl, combine bacon chunks, brown sugar, ketchup, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and beans.
6.  On the baking sheet used to bake the bacon, leave the grease and yummy brown bits.  Add to the baking sheet the ground beef/onions.  Then top with the ketchup and beans mixture.  Fold it all together a bit.
7.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
 
Enjoy!