Sweet Cornbread (aka the best cornbread you’ll ever eat)

November 19, 2013June 25, 2018 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I should start this post with two disclaimers:

One: This is not “southern style” savory cornbread. This is a recipe for sweet, nearly dessert-like cornbread, that goes well with more sweetness (like a maple butter), chili, soups and even stuffed squash.

Two: If you like sweet, dessert-like breads, you will love this cornbread. You won’t be able to stop eating it. Good luck 🙂

The past few weeks have been perfect for some fall cooking. I’ve made a few chili recipes, soups, and a ton of squash. While these are each good recipes on their own – they are only made better by one thing – the perfect cornbread. So here you go – enjoy!

sweet cornbread - i crashed the web

Sweet Cornbread (The Best Cornbread Ever)

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray, like Pam.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe large boil. Once melted, add sugar and eggs, well beaten. Add in buttermilk and continue to mix well.
In a small bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add to wet mixture. Stir in cornmeal and mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until edges start to brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

*Note: I keep powdered buttermilk in the fridge almost all the time – it stays longer than liquid buttermilk and comes in handy for recipes like this. If using powdered buttermilk, follow instructions on the container.

Waiting in the oven. yes I also made two small heart-shaped pans.

All done!

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

November 12, 2013November 10, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Whether I like it or not, the weather is getting cooler and we’re well on our way to fall and … winter. I don’t mind the weather getting cooler – especially since it means it’s finally officially soup and chili weather!

We got a lot of sweet potatoes in our last summer Fresh Fork CSA, and though I’m a fan of roasting them, making fries, and more – I really wanted to make a chili with them. So I did. Typically I make my chicken or turkey chili in the crock pot to save time, and energy, but for being a chili recipe, this is pretty easy and painless to prepare AND make. You could probably use ground beef – but I always prefer turkey or chicken personally so I haven’t tried it.

sweet potato chicken chili photo - i crashed the web

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Here’s what you need:

1 Tbs olive oil
16 oz lean ground turkey or chicken
1 medium yellow or Spanish onion, chopped
1 medium sweet pepper, chopped
1 Tbs garlic powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
10 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
16 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans our favorite beans – I used kidney and Great Northern beans
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes about 1/2-1 inch thick

Here’s what you do:

In a Dutch oven, brown the ground chicken over 1 Tbs olive oil. Cook, on medium-high, and break apart chicken as it cooks. Season with some of the garlic powder and cumin as it cooks.
After chicken is cooked through, add onion and pepper and some more of the cumin and garlic powder. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until onion starts to become translucent.
Add the can of tomatoes with chilies, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and sweet potato.
Add rest of spices – rest of cumin, garlic powder and then chili powder. Stir to combine mixture.
Cover Dutch oven most of the way and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 25-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and full cooked. Stir often.
Serve in a bowl. Mine made about 9 cups and I had about 1 1/2 cup for my dinner serving.
Enjoy alone, over rice or with corn bread. I chose the corn bread — because why not?

And that, my friends, is the perfect fall meal!

sweet potato chicken chili

sweet potato chicken chili 2- i crashed the web

Fall Baking Wishlist – Pumpkin Edition

September 30, 2013September 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Don’t tell anyone – but fall is NOT my favorite season. I know, I know — I’m in the minority – most folks I talk to who live in Cleveland or on the East Coast LOVE fall. Sweaters, boots, cooler weather, the works – but to be honest, fall for me just makes me start to think about winter, which I do NOT love, and I really just love spring and summer.

Phew. Not that that confession is off my chest – I do want to share that I LOVE fall baking. And I love everything about pumpkin in the fall! But since we’ve been a little crazy the past few weeks with work, moving, unpacking, etc. up until this weekend, I hadn’t baked in forever. And then I went on a fall baking binge. Pumpkin granola. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Pumpkin scones. Yes, I made them all. And I want to bake more! So to get myself inspired – and to satisfy those of you with the sweet tooth who are tired of my vacation posts and happy the baking posts are back – here’s what’s still on my fall baking wishlist. What’s on yours?

Fall Baking Wishlist – Pumpkin Edition

Pumpkin Biscotti from here

Pumpkin Truffles from here

Pumpkin Cookies that I made last year!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones from here

And while we’re talking about pumpkin scones – what about these that I just made?

Pumpkin scones with Maple Butter Glaze from here

promise they taste better than they look.

These super soft white chocolate pumpkin blondies I tried out last year as well.

And this amazing sounding cinnamon pumpkin sheet cake from here

Enjoy! What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?

A SOUP-er Roundup!

October 12, 2012October 13, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

The weather has definitely been getting colder in Cleveland, which means that I’ve not only been baking up a storm, but B and I have also been in the kitchen more to cook. Baked ziti? Homemade sauce? Spaghetti squash? Homemade pasta with home baked bread? You name it – if I can turn the oven on, I’m happy.

Still, what about those days when all you want is a hearty helping of soup and crusty bread? Lately I’ve been just frequenting the Souper Market – but I plan to attempt to make at least one soup on my own as the days get cooler. Here are some of the soups I’m dying to cook:

Slow Cooker Taco Stew (from Mommy Hates Cooking)

Fall Harvest Stew (from The Daily Balance – another Clevelander!)

Tuscan Chicken Sausage, Kale and Vegetable Soup (from me!)

Spicy Pumpkin Soup (from My Recipes)

Buffalo Chicken Soup (from Bake Your Day)

Chicken Tortilla Soup (from The Pioneer Woman)

AND for those days that I don’t feel like turning on the crockpot or waiting for some soup to cook?

I “indulge” in the best light soup: I recently got to try some of Progresso’s new light creamy soups! I was sent the Chicken Pot Pie and Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese. The best part about the soups? They’re 100 calories per serving.

So if you’re me – you have two 100 calorie lunches to play around with (I usually also bring a side salad or a sandwich on an English muffin to round out the meal) – or if you’re B, you have one 200 calorie (yes, he eats the whole can) soup on your hand. The other cool thing? I was sent this really cute gift set – it included two cans of soups, a gift bag, a water bottle and a soup mug (yes, I ate mine out of my mug)!

I definitely recommend you check these soups out if you’re looking for something creamy, but light, to enjoy this winter or fall. Do they taste exactly like the originals and non-light soups? No … but I still really enjoyed them!