Barefoot Thursday

I am so excited to announce I have joined a fun group of bloggers: The Barefoot Bloggers!

Twice a month this group of recipe challenge loving bloggers prepares a recipe from one of Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) cookbooks. The recipe is selected by a different member of the group each month then members blog about it.

This month's selection is Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread as selected by Cooking with the Kids. I was pretty excited to try this recipe-as I love jalapenos and I love cornbread. I of course had to make a few changes-mostly because I made it at 9:00 at night and I did not have any white sugar or any scallions in the house and I only had white cornmeal; it was too late to run out to the supermarket. I decided to substitute brown sugar which I think made up a little for the lack of color with using white cornmeal. As for the scallions, I just left them out. Over all I though it was quite tasty! I cut it into squares and froze it immediately as I am bringing it to the shelter I cook for on Friday with some chicken corn chowder (more on that tomorrow).

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread from The Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups milk

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan

8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided

1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions

3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet inredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix. Mix in 2 cups of the cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 by 2 - inch pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.