• 3 c. flour
  • 1 c. yellow cornmeal
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 2 Tbs. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 c. whole milk
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 sticks butter, melted (plus extra for the pan)
  • 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, grated and divided
  • 1/3 c. chopped green onion
  • 3 Tbs. seeded and minced fresh jalapeños

Hubs and I got rid of cable television about a year ago. 99% of the time we don’t even miss it, and we sure like those extra bucks in the bank; heck, we barely even have time to watch the things I’ve queued up in our instant Netflix list. But if I come anywhere near cable television – be it at a friend’s house, the dentist’s waiting room, or a hotel room – I get sucked in. Like, really sucked in. Like, Poltergeist sucked in. Like, Gosh-these-Kardashian-girls-are-sort-of-charmingly-tolerable,-I-think-I’ll-watch-for-the-next-four-hours sucked in. It’s that bad.

On a recent trip out of town for a yoga gig, I was propped up on the mega-jumbo-king-sized bed in my hotel room, Kroger salad in hand, torn between reading my yoga books and watching Ina Garten’s cooking show. In this particular episode, Ina was making her jalapeño cheddar cornbread for her adorable and equally-cherubic husband, Jeffrey. I’d made Ina’s cornbread a time or two before, and was blown away by how moist, flavorful and delicious it was – it probably has something to do with the virtual mountain of cheese that went into the batter, or perhaps the two sticks of melted butter. Yeah, you heard me.

Of course, Ina won and I spent the next half hour drooling on my duvet and silently weeping over perfectly browned cornbread muffins. For the full story, head on over to the Fayetteville Flyer, and give them a squeeze for me.

Cheesy Cornbread Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and the melted butter. With a large spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until most of the lumps are gone. Be careful not to overmix! Mix in 2/3 of the grated cheddar, the green onion and the jalapeños, and allow the batter to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease either large muffin tins or a 9×13 baking pan. Pour the batter into the greased muffin tins or pan, and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top turns golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool, and serve warm or at room temperature.